things like nanotech, gene therapy, mind uploading, etc

transhumanism is potentially the greatest threat to the species known

I wouldn't mind living forever due to nanotech

I could become, not a Borg but I could have little Borg like nanites in my body fixing stuff that goes wrong

really @Maxthx ? why do you think so?

oh gawd where to begin...

well with nanotech the threat of a grey goo scenario is pretty important

eventually it'll happen and people will think of 500 year lifespans as the norm. its only a question of when, IMO

which is a scenario where a runaway nanotechnology rapidly expands without proper parameters

ecological devastation

im familiar. i dont think its likely

expanding the lifespan of individuals is also a huge potential problem

for example unless its rolled out universally, who receives the treatments?

the rich live forever and the poor die younger and younger?

the inequality gap expanding

longer lifespans means more pressure on resources

and we are already living in a situation where a number of resources are critically over stressed

i dont buy the first one, the inequality gap, maybe in the beginning but why not say that for anything? cars, computers, hopsitals...its just like talking another leap forward

for resources, two things- longer lives in youth mean bigger percentage of the lifespan working, rather than 40% being childhood and retirement

and better technology would allow new things, such as floating farms, or farms in the desert in glass towers

think we are focusing on the wrong resources here

which do youmean?

well depends on which you want to talk about

how about sand

80% of modern large scale construction techniques rely on concrete

which requires a specific quality of sand

which is becoming more and more scarce

for a good time google Sand Piracy in India

we'd have better tech. polycarbonites, etc. reliance on concrete would be obsolete

same with electronics

maybe

but betting on technology to solve all problems is not a reliable planning method

some techs might not pan out

others might not be widely reproducable

i think life extension will be like flying; once unimaginable and seen as impossible, but one day normal and people cant imagine not having it

maybe 30 years, maybe 150, but IMO its inevitable

its still the problem of accessibility

even today... there are billions of people without access to vaccinations

whatever populations get the life extension will gain prominence over those that don't

which will amount to second degree genocide

the drug companies that have developed cancer treatments are currently asking mark-up prices up to and including 500% above cost