If you have some argument for why anti-aging research will help people more in the long term, great, lets here it.
Ok: people have value—human capital, if necessary—that compounds with time: knowledge, social ties, personal organization, etc. Currently, this is greatly offset by the physical and mental decline of aging. If we could undo and prevent that decline, people would have the opportunity to be unimaginably productive. The problems that you’ve mentioned are difficult now, but they’d be easier after someone spent a second lifetime dedicated solely to working on them. Furthermore, the management of physical and financial capital across great periods of time is limited—there isn’t anyone that can realistically oversee 300+ year projects and make sure they turn out right. All of this is of value not only to the individual whose life is extended, but to others as well. Admittedly, cryonics doesn’t fall into this story perfectly, although a political environment that’s better for anti-aging in general should also be better for cryonics.
I will also confess that I don’t want to die. You shouldn’t either.
Ok: people have value—human capital, if necessary—that compounds with time: knowledge, social ties, personal organization, etc. Currently, this is greatly offset by the physical and mental decline of aging. If we could undo and prevent that decline, people would have the opportunity to be unimaginably productive. The problems that you’ve mentioned are difficult now, but they’d be easier after someone spent a second lifetime dedicated solely to working on them. Furthermore, the management of physical and financial capital across great periods of time is limited—there isn’t anyone that can realistically oversee 300+ year projects and make sure they turn out right. All of this is of value not only to the individual whose life is extended, but to others as well. Admittedly, cryonics doesn’t fall into this story perfectly, although a political environment that’s better for anti-aging in general should also be better for cryonics.
I will also confess that I don’t want to die. You shouldn’t either.