Eternal Life

This seems a good subject for this weekend. But I’ve been pondering it ever since I read this in the January issue of National Geographic: “if you can live a few years more, there is a real chance you will never die, since mortality may be just a technical problem we solve.” Now as a 74 year old biologist, that caught my attention. Sure I’d like to see both houses of Congress controlled by Democrats, and see my granddaughter (currently 19 months old) graduate from college. But live forever?  

A bit of context: the statement I just quoted is part of a blurb written by Byron Reese to promote his new book which National Geographic saw fit to promote in its New Year edition. Yes, Byron is a young man – not a physician or biologist but a technocrat businessman and futurist. Reese’s book is entitled Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology will end Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger and War. And it seems - death. Heh, I’m for ending all five of those biggies that Byron says he can deal with; but since his book came out, ISIS, Boko Haram and Al Shabab seem to be using the internet and technology to head us in the opposite direction.  

But that’s not what I want to talk about in this blog. All sane people want to see the scourges listed in the book’s title go away. What I want to take issue with is the promise of ending death, the promise of eternal life. First, medical science should focus not so much on extending the life of elderly people as to tackling childhood diseases. I find it very painful to see images of children dying of cancer, their lives cut far too short.

I’ve already lived longer than both my grandfathers, and in another couple of years and I’ll have lived longer than both my parents. Modern medicine has given me better health in my seventies than it was thought possible a century ago. But live forever? – no way! 

Living things are designed to have a limited life span: some insects a day or two, some trees a thousand years. Amongst our ape cousins we humans have the longest lifespan, in part because of our extended childhood period leaving time for that big brain to develop. If in the next generation or so it is figured out how to extend life indefinitely  -  as a biologist I’m skeptical that it’s possible – then humanity would face an enormous moral crisis.

Generations pass on (it’s a good phrase) to make room for the next generations, not only physically and biologically but in terms of running our societies with new and better and more just ideas. If this medical breakthrough which Byron Reese predicts comes about it will be millionaires lining up to enjoy the expensive procedure while millions in Africa and Asia continue to die far too young. Furthermore, this planet is way overpopulated with humans as it is, driving many other species to extinction while being unable to feed all seven billion humans adequately. Curtail death and at some point we’d have to ban birth. 

I am extremely fortunate to be alive at this time in history. I feel the need to give back by helping people to appreciate the wonderful world of living creatures we have around us. In my very small way I vote and donate and advocate for a more just society. Then it will be time to move on, and younger and better generations can take the amazing story the next step.  To life!