Future Fixes Distract: The Cost of Longevity Hype

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "How to Think About Progress" by Nicholas Agar - A book that explores a skeptical guide to technology and challenges optimistic views on technological advancements and radical enhancements.
• "Truly Human Enhancement" by Nicholas Agar - A book that delves into the nuances of human enhancement and its implications.
• "Doctored" (by a science journalist working for the journal Science, author not explicitly named) - An eye-opening book about incentives in medical research, particularly concerning Alzheimer's, and how they can be misaligned with human flourishing.
• "New Medicine" by John K. Davis - A book by a philosopher in the pro-longevity camp who addresses distribution and priority concerns regarding radical life extension.

People Mentioned

• Nicholas Agar (Professor of Ethics at the University of Waikato) - The guest of the episode, a New Zealand philosopher specializing in ethics and the author of several books.
• Elon Musk - Referenced as a figure associated with ambitious technological solutions, such as terraforming Mars, and a focus on space exploration.
• Socrates - Mentioned as a philosophical archetype for being contrary and questioning prevalent enthusiasms.
• Aubrey de Grey - A prominent figure in the longevity field, known for his work on the seven deadly things (repair paradigms) related to aging.
• Cynthia Kenyon - A scientist who demonstrated that knocking out a single gene in a worm could double its lifespan, challenging previous assumptions about the immutability of aging.
• Peter Thiel - Referenced as an example of a wealthy individual who might disproportionately benefit from expensive life extension technologies.
• Mark Zuckerberg - Mentioned in the context of overselling the positive impacts of technology like Facebook.
• John K. Davis - A philosopher known for being in the pro-longevity camp and for his concerns about the distribution and prioritization of life extension technologies.
• Garry Kasparov - Referenced in the context of human chess players being surpassed by machines.
• Roger Federer - A professional tennis player mentioned in a hypothetical scenario about human versus enhanced capabilities.

Organizations & Institutions

• University of Waikato - The institution where Nicholas Agar is a Professor of Ethics.
• Vitalism Foundation - A non-profit organization with a mission to achieve unlimited lifespans in peak health, aiming to allocate 1% of global GDP to this project.

Other Resources

• "The seven deadly things" (Aubrey de Grey's taxonomy) - A concept referring to specific cellular and molecular damage that accumulate with age, which Aubrey de Grey proposes can be repaired to achieve radical life extension.
• "Amyloid plaques" - A concept mentioned in the context of Alzheimer's research as a dominant but potentially flawed paradigm for understanding the disease.
• "Thalassemia" - A blood disease mentioned as an example of an inheritable condition that could potentially be addressed with gene editing.
• "Down syndrome" - A genetic condition discussed in the context of ethical considerations surrounding genetic modification and eradication of disease states.
• "Ozempic" - A medication mentioned as an example of a seductive technological fix for weight loss that may not fully deliver on idealized promises.