Decadence is no longer morally acceptable.
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Posted: 9/11/2026 5:22:56 PM EDT
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Let’s say that in the near future someone develops the means for people to live to 250 years old. It’s not immortality, you can still die if say someone cuts off your head or you lose too much blood. And it’s not eternal youth either, some of the effects of aging are still in play and when you hit 200. Alzheimer’s like symptoms are inevitable. Also, for the time being, this treatment is only available to the very wealthy in 1st world countries. Though we can certainly expect certain politicians and well heeled people in poorer countries to buy the treatment as well. Those treated will be much more resistant to cancer and a variety of diseases, note the word resistant, not immune. How do you expect this would affect civilization? Politicians and judges would probably never retire. Would it just be something that exacerbates our current problems, would it change anything? |
Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
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Originally Posted By Hesperus: How do you expect this would affect civilization? A new titanium structure would need to be designed to fix broken hips and pelvis. Pharma stock prices for Viagra manufacturer would be on the moon. |
Preferred pronoun: MARINE
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If human fertility doesn’t change (men slow decline / women hit menopause around 50), that leaves a very long gig as grandparents (read the naked ape). I think a great many would opt out through risky lifestyle trying to find meaning, or check out intentionally. Its easy to wish for immortality at 18, much harder at 60. |
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Originally Posted By 2W0X1: Too many people https://media4.giphy.com/media/xUA7bhIkqaHa3LqsjS/200.webp?cid=8dc8958ck1eogj52mn6yg1r89nwxvzzbe9uknw8l40ocbkit&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200.webp&ct=g You know there's sooooo much pee in that pool... |
Decadence is no longer morally acceptable.
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Originally Posted By BB: You read my post in the conspiracy theory thread That was part of it. Another part of it was an AI thread where I was wondering what would motivate people (in a movie!) to fight tooth and nail to protect a clearly evil artificial intelligence. If it were to grant radical life extension to certain very old, powerful and wealthy people. Do you think they would kneel down and worship it as a god, if it asked for it? |
Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
| That’s an interesting question. I think some people, when presented with their eminent mortality and a sure fire solution would absolutely do whatever it takes to secure what they want; that said they wouldn’t actually “believe” in the deity aspect they are just making the motions to get the end result. |
-Women should always wear tight clothes and men should carry powerful handguns
Decadence is no longer morally acceptable.
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Originally Posted By ZippZ: That one Chinese emperor wanted immortality by not having sex and drinking mercury. How does that sound to you? Worked out great for him, didn’t it?  I’ve gone through the process of having heavy metals taken out of my body. Was not fun, I’d rather not put them back in. |
Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
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Originally Posted By InflectionPoint: If I make 80, I’ll be satisfied. The world I grew up in is gone. I have zero desire to see what the world would be like in another 200 years. I'd like to see how things turn out but not be a participant. Sort of watching from the less expensive seats. |
'' THE STRONGEST REASON FOR PEOPLE TO RETAIN THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS IS,AS A LAST RESORT,TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST TYRANNY IN GOVERNMENT.'' THOMAS JEFFERSON
"You skunk-haired motherfucker." TEETER
"You skunk-haired motherfucker." TEETER
 Daft Punk - Robot Rock (Official Music Video Remastered) Our future. Unless, we turned into Cybernen. |
Decadence is no longer morally acceptable.
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Originally Posted By Lighthammer72: What is this hypothetical crap? I thought you had a supplement to sell me. Got my credit card out and everything.  Nope, I don’t have anything to sell you. But someone probably will be promising something like this soon enough. |
Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
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Originally Posted By Hesperus: Let’s say that in the near future someone develops the means for people to live to 250 years old. It’s not immortality, you can still die if say someone cuts off your head or you lose too much blood. And it’s not eternal youth either, some of the effects of aging are still in play and when you hit 200. Alzheimer’s like symptoms are inevitable. Also, for the time being, this treatment is only available to the very wealthy in 1st world countries. Though we can certainly expect certain politicians and well heeled people in poorer countries to buy the treatment as well. Those treated will be much more resistant to cancer and a variety of diseases, note the word resistant, not immune. How do you expect this would affect civilization? Politicians and judges would probably never retire. Would it just be something that exacerbates our current problems, would it change anything? You can take our current trends, and turn them up to 11 ... probably 110. Let's imagine that this drug is discovered tomorrow. By 2050, the natural distribution of wealth of the richest American to their heirs has stopped. Capital accumulation is overwhelmingly centered in the top 0.01% who have access to this treatments. That doesn't mean that everybody else lives in poverty - but the wealth of the top 0.01% grows astronomically faster. Whereas now they control about 10% of all wealth, it doubles and triples within a few decades. Wealth distribution by 2060 looks something this: Top 0.001%-20% of all wealth Top 0.01% - 30% of all wealth Top 0.1% - 50% of all wealth Top 1% - 70% of all wealth Political power follows the money. While United States is still a "democracy", it's well understood that man in the White House has very little influence over the direction of the country. It's still an important post, in the same way that a General Manager of a company is an important post - but his job is to implement the directions of the higher ups. The 2000 men (and it's by and large mostly men) of the top 0.001% are the High Nobility, who enjoy essential immunity from laws that constrain the lower classes. The only thing that constrains them are actions of their peers. The lower classes (including the formerly meaningful 1%) are kept relatively comfortable, but insulated from any real levers of power. |
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Originally Posted By 2W0X1: Too many people https://media4.giphy.com/media/xUA7bhIkqaHa3LqsjS/200.webp?cid=8dc8958ck1eogj52mn6yg1r89nwxvzzbe9uknw8l40ocbkit&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200.webp&ct=g Depends….if it is only for the super wealthy….we as first world nations are already dropping in birth rates. If it doesn’t extend reproductive years, it shouldn’t be that big of an issue population wise, as far as carrying capacity goes. Now jobs would be interesting as retirement age could drastically shift. |
Let us disappoint the Men who are raising themselves upon the ruin of this Country.
~John Adams
~John Adams
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I might be extending my life already by taking a immunosuppressant drug to keep myself alive today after receiving a liver transplant. Google - rapamycin. It seems to work on mice already  https://get.agelessrx.com/rapamycin/ |
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There was a very interesting movie several years ago called the Age of Adeline. It was about a young woman who upon being in a lightning-caused car wreck gained the ability to retain her telemeres. Telomeres are a widespread genetic feature most commonly found in eukaryotes. In most or even all species possessing them, they protect the terminal regions of chromosomal DNA from progressive degradation and ensure the integrity of linear chromosomes by preventing DNA repair systems from mistaking the very ends of the DNA strand for a double-strand break. It was interesting. But it also had a sad undertone. She never aged, but her friends and loved ones did, and they died. The emotional toll on her was great. Sounds hokey, but it was good. |
In my defense, I was left unattended.
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Originally Posted By InflectionPoint: If I make 80, I’ll be satisfied. The world I grew up in is gone. I have zero desire to see what the world would be like in another 200 years. Zero desire to see what the world looks like in another 200 years? I dread to see what it will look like in another ten years. Just a couple days ago I told my wife that I am actually grateful to not be any younger than (my current age of) 71. |
Put not your trust in princes, in sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth, on that very day his plans perish.
Psalms 145/146
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth, on that very day his plans perish.
Psalms 145/146
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Originally Posted By shaneus: If human fertility doesn’t change (men slow decline / women hit menopause around 50), that leaves a very long gig as grandparents (read the naked ape). I think a great many would opt out through risky lifestyle trying to find meaning, or check out intentionally. Its easy to wish for immortality at 18, much harder at 60. Well I am 60 and I don’t find it difficult to wish for. But I must admit to being pretty spry for my age. |
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RAH covered this in his Lazarus Long books. Do you get it for your entire family and friends? Imagine watching your grand children and everyone you love grow old and die, while yo live on. Good friends seeing their inevitable end turning to hate you. |
Soldier for Life
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Originally Posted By Positronic: It's really hard enough just seeing my wife and brother aging; I couldn't imagine the horros of living to be a hundred: EVERYONE YOU knew in your middle years would be long dead. Members of my family have made it to 100. They live knowing they passed knowledge and stories on to the next generation(s) sometimes 3 or 4 times deep. I miss them and rember the stories of my 103 year old uncle and 104 year old aunt. I very distinctly remember him talking about the old timers in his youth from the civil war and using a mule to get to school as a child. |
Esstac’s Retarded Social Media Influencer
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“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14 I’m good - I’m ready whenever my time is up here. Still plenty to do and enjoy and family to provide for, but I know what awaits and it can’t come soon enough. |
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Originally Posted By NachoDip: Members of my family have made it to 100. They live knowing they passed knowledge and stories on to the next generation(s) sometimes 3 or 4 times deep. I miss them and rember the stories of my 103 year old uncle and 104 year old aunt. I very distinctly remember him talking about the old timers in his youth from the civil war and using a mule to get to school as a child. problem is the youth of today have zero intrest in learning... hence why all ya see is them bitching about boomers this or boomers that and not a single word about how it was those boomers (my parents) who built absolutely all of the modern conveniences they take for granted and made the extremely easy life these younger people have which has made them so weak and so un skilled possible.... in a decade or two all of that infrastructure will fall apart cause they have no interest in listening and learning from those who created it.... 
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I wouldn’t mind 150 years if constrained to the Earth. I get it’s a matter of perspective. If our normal lives were 150 years, I’d be saying I would be happy with 250. I just think our lives are short relative to what we think we know and control today. Perhaps we have no control whatsoever. I wouldn’t want immortality unless it came with the opportunity to explore the entire universe. Immortality confined to earth would be torture. |
Decadence is no longer morally acceptable.
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Originally Posted By DDiggler: Inflation will be crazy as people can compound returns for that long. It’ll take forever to not be poor. We don’t need a thing like that in the future. We will have nobles and peasants, nothing else. |
Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
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