We’re asking each of the participants in The World Transformed to give us their thoughts on one major coming transformation. Here are Aubrey de Grey’s answers:
If you were to pick just one current or coming transformation that you would advise people to focus on, which one would that be?
The defeat of aging, obviously 🙂
What should we be doing about it?
Three things: funding, funding and funding. Every other prerequisite is already in place: we have a reasonably detailed plan for how to get from today’s science and technology to the goal of truly comprehensive regenerative medicine against aging, and we have a high degree of enthusiasm for taking on that challenge among many of the world’s leading scientists in all the relevant areas of research. So all we need is the resources to let them get on with it.
What’s in it for us if we get it right?
The elimination of the #1 cause of suffering in the world today; astronomical economic benefits from keeping people healthy and productive as long as they live; the empowerment of humanity to benieve that we really can solve the world’s biggest problems. For a start.
What are the risks if we don’t?
Economic collapse as more and more people spend longer and longer in a dependent state; increasing disrespect for the elderly as the young turn their attentions to their own priorities; continued fatalism from the bulk of the population in respect of all hard problems (climate change, world peace, etc).
