Longevity is hitting the mainstream on an increasingly frequent basis… not always in a good way.
There are a few things that most Silicon Valley tech billionaires have in common. A supposedly ‘genius’ mind. A North Face gilet. More money than they could ever spend in lifetime. Which may explain why more and more of them are trying to, quite literally, live forever.
In some ways it makes sense. Once you’ve made your billions from something mundane like, say, an online bookstore or a society-destroying social media platform, the world is your oyster. Why not pour your endless resources into something far more sexy like the pursuit of eternal youth?
If that sounds far-fetched, sci-fi and, frankly, a little dystopian, be under no illusions that this is exactly what Dorsey, Bezos et al are trying to achieve under the guise of ‘longevity’. In a 2017 talk, former Facebook president Sean Parker told his audience, “Because I’m a billionaire, I’m going to have access to better healthcare. So, I’m going to be 160 and I’m going to be part of this class of immortal overlords.”
It may have been delivered with a smile but, given the expansion of the biotech space and the state of global wealth disparity, it’s hard to tell if he was actually joking.
I’ve never heard of this SSRI popularity… is there much truth to it?
Pancha points to SSRIs, another favourite among the longevity crowd thanks to their (shaky) reputation for delaying the onset of neurological diseases. SSRI side-effects include headaches, dizziness, sweating, insomnia and loss of libido – all of which can also be exacerbated by other ‘longevity-promoting’ practices such as regimented sleep routines and extreme fasting and exercise.
I’ve not heard of this person, mentioned in the story above: