The Abolition of Aging: The Forthcoming Radical Extension of Healthy Human Longevity

ISBN-13: 9780995494206 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 550 str.

David W. Wood

Opis

Within our collective grasp dwells the remarkable possibility of the abolition of biological aging. It's a big "if," but if we decide as a species to make this project a priority, there's around a 50% chance that practical rejuvenation therapies resulting in the comprehensive reversal of aging will be widely available as early as 2040. People everywhere, on the application of these treatments, will, if they wish, stop becoming biologically older. Instead, again if they wish, they'll start to become biologically younger, in both body and mind, as rejuvenation therapies take hold. In short, everyone will have the option to become ageless. The viewpoint just described is a position the author has reached following extensive research, carried out over more than ten years. His research has led him to become a strong supporter of what can be called "the rejuveneering project" a multi-decade cross-disciplinary endeavour to engineer human rejuvenation and thereby enable the choice to abolish aging. But this viewpoint frequently encounters one of two adverse reactions. First, people say that it's not possible that such treatments are going to exist in any meaningful timescale any time soon. In other words, they insist that human rejuvenation can't be done. It's wishful thinking to suppose otherwise, they say. It's bad science. It's naively over-optimistic. It's ignorant of the long history of failures in this field. The technical challenges remain overwhelmingly difficult. Second, people say that any such treatments would be socially destructive and morally indefensible. In other words, they insist that human rejuvenation shouldn't be done. It's essentially a selfish idea, they say - an idea with all kinds of undesirable consequences for societal harmony or planetary well-being. It's an arrogant idea, from immature minds. It's an idea that deserves to be strangled. Can't; shouldn't - this books argues that both these objections are profoundly wrong. It argues instead that rejuvenation is a noble, highly desirable, eminently practical destiny for our species - a "Humanity+" destiny that could be achieved within just one human generation from now. In the author's view, the abolition of aging is set to take its place on the upward arc of human social progress, echoing developments such as the abolition of slavery, the abolition of racism, and the abolition of poverty. This is a discussion with enormous consequences. Changes in the public mood regarding the desirability of rejuveneering could trigger large reallocations of both public and private research expenditure. In turn, these reallocations are likely to have major implications in many areas of public well-being. Clearly, these decisions need to be taken wisely - with decisions being guided by a better understanding of the rich landscape of rejuveneering possibilities. Due to complexities and unknowns, no one can be sure of the outcome of this project. Despite what some rejuvenation enthusiasts may suggest, there's nothing inevitable about the pace of future medical progress. That's why the author gives the probability of success as only around 50%. Although the end outcome remains unclear, the sense of discovery is increasing. The underlying scientific context is changing rapidly. Every day brings its own fresh firehose of news of potential breakthrough medical approaches. In the midst of so much innovation, it behoves us to seek clarity on the bigger picture. To the extent that this book can provide that bigger picture, it will have met at least some of its goals. Armed with that bigger picture, readers of this book will, hopefully, be better placed to find the aspect of the overall rejuveneering project where they can make their best contributions. Together, we can tilt that 50% success probability upwards. The sooner, the better. Note: For advance feedback on this book, see https: //theabolitionofaging.com/.