Will You Be Alive In 2100?
This was a questioned I asked in a discord room and got some interesting responses.
However, it is a valid one? Do you believe that you will be alive in the year 2100? For the youngest among us, this is a possibility since one will be about 100 years old. For the rest of us, it would put us at ages that are presently unrealistic.
Thus, logic says that there is no way most of us will be alive in 80 years. After all, people do not live to 120, 130 or 140 years old.
At least that is our present condition. A few super-centurians are making it to 115 or so but that is far from the norm. We also are in a place where most experts believe that 120 is the biological limit for the human body.
Nevertheless, things are changing quickly. Could this have an impact not only on how long we live but also the quality of life we lead as we age?
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Many feel that technology is about to embark upon a radical acceleration of breakthroughs which will radically alter the human condition going forward. Whether one believes in transhumanism or not, it is hard to argue with technological progress.
The longevity movement has received an enormous boost. Many of the tech billionaires who are sub 40 realize they want to live forever. For this reason many of them, such as the Google boys, have set aside billions to fund research into these areas.
While much of that could be a bit far-fetched, there is no doubt that progress is being made. Research such as the mapping out of the genome as well as DNA editing could help to alleviate many diseases such as cancer, dementia, and strokes. What would this do for the life expectancy of people?
Of course, that does not add to overall life expectancy of humanity. While we could see the average increase, the top end limit is still in place.
That is unless we can figure out a way to push beyond it.
Here is where things are getting interesting. Many projects are underway in an effort to bring out "therapies" that will help to solve some of the problems with aging. Some might have heard the goal is to make 100 the new 60. This is how the thought process is unfolding.
Ultimately, a great deal of this comes down to what is made via technology in general. The last 30 years saw incredible progress with digitization and the expansion of information. This spread out to video, audio, and communications.
Could this move into the realm of medicine, nutrition, food production, and other areas of life that will enhance our well-being?
Researchers are confident that advancements will be made over the next couple decades. Will that translate into decades being added to the average person's life is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, by focusing upon dying as a disease, many are looking to eradicate it.
Even if this is out of the reach, the progress made could have benefits aside from immortality.
Getting back to the original question, 2100 is a long way away. To try and put it in perspective, think about the fact that 80 years ago puts us in 1940, or World War 2. How much has changed in the world since that time?
With many claiming that biology is similar to computer coding, we might be moving into an age when biological breakthroughs are as simple as some reprogramming. We are in the very early stages of this field and it will be quite a while before we see anything substantial from it.
One thing we need to caution against is trying to imagine the next 80 years by looking back at the last 80. In terms of progress, we could see a similar move from 1940 to today occur over the next 15-20 years. Thus, the impact of technology over the next 80 will border on something we can barely comprehend.
Personally, I feel that many who are below 40 right now stand a good chance of being alive in 2100. The next 10 years could be a turning point. Some have mentioned that 2030 is when we arrive at Longevity Escape Velocity, a time when the average life expectancy increases by more than a year for each one passing. The most recent forecast I read is that by that time, the average life expectancy will grow by 1.3 years.
Thus, we could see time passing at a rate faster than biological degradation.
As we sit here in 2020, some of this might see a bit out there. However, when we look back at what was around in 1990, we realize that the idea that people would be using a "smartphone" was an outrageous idea too. Today, billions around the world are daily users of that technology.
So what are your thoughts? Do you think you will be around come the turn of this century?
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