Is Longevity Ethical?
If you need a refresher on what exactly human longevity is, check out my overview article here.
Now, let’s discuss the ethics. I’m going to address the main concerns in regards to the longevity industry.
First, Is the Way That the Process is Being Done Unethical?
Embryonic stem cells are often used in the longevity development process, and the research involves destroying the embryos after stem cells are harvested. The question posed here is is doing so taking a life?
This question is hard to answer because it comes down to the question of at what stage of development is an embryo considered a human. The debate is similar to that of abortion, where millions of people can’t agree. Some argue that an embryo is considered a person at conception and therefore harvesting stem cells is immoral. The counterargument is that using embryonic stem cells in research is not taking a life, but instead is providing valuable life saving medical breakthroughs, and is morally permissible. This is a very controversial and long-debated scientific topic, with no definite answer yet.
Is Human Longevity Access For Only the Wealthy Unethical?
This question essentially asks if whether or not it’s fair for some of us to have access to something that others can’t just because they can’t afford it.
There is no doubt that it’s unjust when rich people live longer than the poor just because they have access to better health care. So, it would be even more unjust rich people could live decades or even centuries longer than the poor. However, although some argue that banning longevity would be the answer to this inequality, that is simply untrue. Life isn’t fair. And, we don’t usually ban things because not everyone can have access to them. For example, smart phones. Not everyone could afford them at first, but they gradually became more available and now pretty much everyone owns one. And, the same thing can happen with longevity. Even if only the rich can have it at first, over time it will become more accessible for everyone.
Is Longevity Bad for Society?
Longevity does pose risks to society. A common argument is that extending our lifespans will result in overpopulation. And, that the world does not have enough resources for so many inhabitants.
This is an extremely valid argument, which I have no comeback for. Other than this: I believe in society. I believe that we have the power to influence it for good. There are so many innovations and things being done right now that I’m sure that we have the ability to somehow create or do something to fight that issue. We’ve overcome scientific obstacles before and there’s no reason that we can’t come up with something for that too. So, what we should remember is that there are always ways to overcome these obstacles.
Lastly, Does Longevity Take Away the Natural Meaning of Life?
Like all topics of debate, there are many varying viewpoints on this question. Some would argue that changing our biological clocks is inhumane because we are genetically meant to die. We live our lives with the knowledge that one day it will come to an end, and that is just part of life. In some ways, it gives life a meaning and value to know that our time here is short. Through longevity, people could miss out on the benefits of getting older and learning to accept death.
But, who’s to say that some sort of meaning won’t be present if we were to extend our lifespans? What if we find purpose in the fact that we are able to influence the world and spend time with those whom we care about even longer? And because no one has ever led an abnormally long life through longevity before, we don’t know what the implications of that would be. We won’t really know until someone actually does it.
Key Takeaways:
- The ethics of longevity are a long and complicated debate, with many indefinite answers.
- The ethical use of embryonic stem cells can be regarded from two opposite viewpoints in a debate that is very similar to the topic of abortion.
- Longevity poses risks to society, but those risks can be overcome.
- Longevity should not be banned just because only the wealthy may be able to have it. Over time, things always get cheaper.
- We won’t know what effects longevity will have on our purpose in life until someone actually does it. It’s like you can’t speak on behalf of someone until you’ve actually experienced what they’ve gone through.
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