Scenarios for the future of healthy life extension
David W. Wood
Delta Wisdom, and London Futurists (UK)
This talk looks at four scenarios for the future of healthy life extension over the next 25 years – scenarios that can be termed “Optimistic”, “Realistic”, “Pessimistic”, and “Humanity+” (the latter can also be called “Abolitionist”). Each of these scenarios is a credible development from the status quo. The speaker will look at critical factors which will vary the likelihoods of the different outcomes.
Whereas the Optimistic scenario depends on the successful execution of a single significant disruption from existing mainstream medical practice, the Humanity+ (Abolitionist) scenario relies on a two-fold disruption taking place. Drawing on his extensive experience of disruptions taking place in other fields of business and technology, and on his studies of the history and philosophy of science, the speaker will clarify how the adoption of disruptions often depends as much on social factors as on technological ones.
The speaker will proceed to make suggestions for the best steps that can be taken by the community of healthy life extension enthusiasts, bearing in mind the risks of counter-productive steps. Recommendations include improved community-building, political alliances, and more sophisticated meme engineering, as well as increased support for citizen science.
David W. Wood
Delta Wisdom, and London Futurists (UK)
This talk looks at four scenarios for the future of healthy life extension over the next 25 years – scenarios that can be termed “Optimistic”, “Realistic”, “Pessimistic”, and “Humanity+” (the latter can also be called “Abolitionist”). Each of these scenarios is a credible development from the status quo. The speaker will look at critical factors which will vary the likelihoods of the different outcomes.
Whereas the Optimistic scenario depends on the successful execution of a single significant disruption from existing mainstream medical practice, the Humanity+ (Abolitionist) scenario relies on a two-fold disruption taking place. Drawing on his extensive experience of disruptions taking place in other fields of business and technology, and on his studies of the history and philosophy of science, the speaker will clarify how the adoption of disruptions often depends as much on social factors as on technological ones.
The speaker will proceed to make suggestions for the best steps that can be taken by the community of healthy life extension enthusiasts, bearing in mind the risks of counter-productive steps. Recommendations include improved community-building, political alliances, and more sophisticated meme engineering, as well as increased support for citizen science.
