While the average human lifespan in the Paleolithic era was limited to the 20s, this period only extended to a limited extent in Neolithic and Bronze Age societies. In Ancient Greece and Rome, humans were glorified in philosophy as "mortal beings" (thnetos or mortalis), yet the statistical reality was harsh. A significant portion of those born did not reach adulthood, and those over 50 were seen as a rare category, almost synonymous with wisdom. Even in the centuries progressing from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, 40 years still meant a long life for the majority of humanity. The real breakthrough occurred in the late 19th and 20th centuries with the advent of science, medicine, and hygiene. In a very short time, the global average climbed from the 30s to the 70s. Now, billionaires are seeking even longer lives.
According to Musk, this is a software problem
From centuries ago to the present, discussions regarding lifespan have generally been grounded in philosophy. However, this topic of debate is now shifting away from philosophy towards technology and biology. The extension of human life is no longer discussed in terms of fate, nature, or metaphysics, but increasingly in terms of "engineering".
Elon Musk's latest statements are one of the clearest examples of this shift. According to Musk, humans die not because they are mortal, but because they are "programmed" to be mortal, and this program can theoretically be changed.
According to him, the simultaneous progression of aging in all parts of the body indicates that death is not coincidental but managed by a central biological clock. The fact that no one has one limb aging while another remains young points to a "highly obvious" control mechanism, in Musk's words.
Musk's approach removes long life from being a moral or existential issue and treats it as a solvable technical problem. He argues that with the combination of artificial intelligence, advanced biotechnology, and automation, the aging process, which today seems complex and inevitable, can be reversed.
According to Musk, who was a guest on the Moonshots with Peter Diamandis podcast, this technological transformation will fundamentally change not only the treatment of diseases but also the way medical services are delivered. Musk specifically argues that humanoid robots could replace surgeons, claiming that this could advance healthcare services far beyond their current state in as little as five years. Thanks to developments in this field, everyone in the world will be able to receive a much higher level of healthcare support. Finally, Musk states that the solution to long life will seem "highly obvious" when looked back upon in the future.
However, Musk's ambitious statements contradict his past criticisms regarding the societal consequences of extended lifespans. Unlike some other billionaires, Musk has not made significant investments in longevity initiatives to date. In previous statements, he had said he would prefer to die rather than live to 100 with severe health issues like dementia. Last year, Musk stated, "If we live too long, I think society will become ossified. There would be no change in leadership because the leader never dies."
Billionaires are investing in this field
Meanwhile, some of Silicon Valley's most powerful figures are channeling significant resources into ventures aimed at reversing or at least slowing down aging at a cellular level. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invested $180 million in Retro Biosciences, a company aiming to add an average of 10 years to human life, arguing that this field requires a breakthrough "on the scale of OpenAI." Peter Thiel, one of the most aggressive supporters of longevity research since its early days, committed a total of $7 million to the Methuselah Foundation and also poured millions into biotechnology companies targeting aging cells. Oracle founder Larry Ellison provided over $430 million in research funding for aging and age-related diseases solely through his own foundation. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin paved the way for billions of dollars in long-term investment in this area through structures like Calico Labs and Verily, established under the Alphabet umbrella. Jeff Bezos is known to be one of the key financiers behind Altos Labs, which aims for cellular rejuvenation, while Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan support projects focused on genetics, neurodegenerative diseases, and life sciences with millions of dollars in funding.
According to the WSJ, billionaires have made $5 billion in direct investments in this field over the past 25 years.
At this point, people live an average of 35-40 years longer than in the 1700s. However, it seems even this extended period is not enough. How could it be otherwise? Humans are, after all, beings who fear death "to death." The history of philosophy clearly bears the traces of this unease. Epicurus's attempt to soothe the anxiety of death (See: If death is, I am not; if I am, death is not, so why fear?), Schopenhauer's urge to cling to life, which he attributed to the blind will to live (See: Wille zum Leben), and Heidegger's consciousness of death, defined as an inevitable confrontation (See: Sein-zum-Tode), all converge on the same question. Humans often desire to live longer not to experience more, but to reach the end a little later. Therefore, every additional year offered by modern medicine is essentially a technical gain.
References
0 Comments: