Contrary to lavalamp, in a society without age I expect more murder, not less.
Inequality and ambition will become more and more socially problematic as lifespans extend. Imagine not just competing against Rockefeller’s descendants, but a 172-year old John D. Rockefeller (still sharp as a tack), patriarch of a clan of 150. And 150 assumes that they just extend lifespans, not reproductive windows! Compound interest will become a serious issue, in wealth, intelligence, and time.
Generational warfare is limited, now, because most people are patient enough to wait for their parents and bosses to die or retire. When that is no longer an option, things will get bloody- and maybe it will sometimes be a polite sort of “forced retirement,” but I suspect that’ll be more difficult to pull off than murder. You don’t have the frailty that comes with age to force an accident, and it’ll be difficult to accumulate enough allies to unseat them- they’ve been around longer. Would Nelson be content being forever just a grandson (especially if more second generation Rockefellers were being created)? Would John be content giving up the empire he created to watch his children or grandchildren mismanage it, when he feels just as hale and hearty as when he built it from scratch, and has the benefit of decades of experience?
As well, demographic trends that are vaguely worrying in the long run become short-run concerns. Suppose you had some violent, high birth-rate group that could become large enough to go around murdering other groups because they don’t share their bloodline in two centuries. Normally, that would be your great grandchildren’s problem, not yours, and it’s easy to imagine their two-hundred year plan falling apart. But with the originators around to see the thing to completion, and your head on the chopping block, you might be interested in nipping this in the bud (as once they get large enough, it will be difficult to kill enough of them to change their minds).
Arguments for disposing of “defectives” are also stronger, because once you have a high-quality person, they stick around. Why not populate the world with just high-quality people?
Overall, I think a world of thousand-year vampire clans will be a better one to live in (especially if I’m a first-generation vampire!), but I think society’s fractures will be deep and bloody.
Contrary to lavalamp, in a society without age I expect more murder, not less.
Inequality and ambition will become more and more socially problematic as lifespans extend. Imagine not just competing against Rockefeller’s descendants, but a 172-year old John D. Rockefeller (still sharp as a tack), patriarch of a clan of 150. And 150 assumes that they just extend lifespans, not reproductive windows! Compound interest will become a serious issue, in wealth, intelligence, and time.
Generational warfare is limited, now, because most people are patient enough to wait for their parents and bosses to die or retire. When that is no longer an option, things will get bloody- and maybe it will sometimes be a polite sort of “forced retirement,” but I suspect that’ll be more difficult to pull off than murder. You don’t have the frailty that comes with age to force an accident, and it’ll be difficult to accumulate enough allies to unseat them- they’ve been around longer. Would Nelson be content being forever just a grandson (especially if more second generation Rockefellers were being created)? Would John be content giving up the empire he created to watch his children or grandchildren mismanage it, when he feels just as hale and hearty as when he built it from scratch, and has the benefit of decades of experience?
As well, demographic trends that are vaguely worrying in the long run become short-run concerns. Suppose you had some violent, high birth-rate group that could become large enough to go around murdering other groups because they don’t share their bloodline in two centuries. Normally, that would be your great grandchildren’s problem, not yours, and it’s easy to imagine their two-hundred year plan falling apart. But with the originators around to see the thing to completion, and your head on the chopping block, you might be interested in nipping this in the bud (as once they get large enough, it will be difficult to kill enough of them to change their minds).
Arguments for disposing of “defectives” are also stronger, because once you have a high-quality person, they stick around. Why not populate the world with just high-quality people?
Overall, I think a world of thousand-year vampire clans will be a better one to live in (especially if I’m a first-generation vampire!), but I think society’s fractures will be deep and bloody.