A Message on Aging From the Science for Life Extension Foundation
The Science for Life Extension Foundation is the Russian group behind the Science Against Aging initiative. Vladimir Skulachev, whose work I occasionally discuss here is amongst their advisory board, as are researchers you might more readily recognize such as Aubrey de Grey and Leonid Gavrilov. You might think of the Science for Life Extension Foundation as a sort of Russian language version of the Methuselah Foundation and SENS Foundation: similarities include strong relationships with the biogerontology community, advocacy initiatives driven by strong personalities from the transhumanist community, and fundraising for the research required to extend healthy human lives. This sort of message, and the goal of radical life extension, is apparently more popular in Russian culture than in the English-language West. (Not that this is saying much - it's an uphill battle for advocates in any culture to raise significant funds for engineered longevity research).
In any case, allow me to direct your attention to a rather well done English langage video from Maria Konovalenko, one of the Program Coordinators at the Science for Life Extension Foundation.
I'd like to tell you about a major issue. Its your personal concern. It's the concern of your nearest and dearest, of all the people living on the planet. It's inevitable absolutely for everybody! But surprisingly little is known about it. Its not a common practice to talk about this problem and moreover to try to solve it. What do you think about 30 million lives? Just imagine that all the people in Denmark, Austria, Finland, Israel and New Zealand disappeared in one year. Would you consider it a problem? But no one pays attention.
UPDATE 05/31/2010: As noted in a more recent post, Konovalenko also writes a blog focused on advocacy for engineered longevity that you may find interesting.
To save 100 000 humans a day , as aubrey de Grey proposed or 30 million humans a year as Maria suggests would be possible only if there is a free and universal health care system. Whether it's funded by governments or charitable donations or both, the main thing is that it should be available and affordable to everyone.
Russia had a free health care system after the Revolution, but the corrupt government politicians and bureaucrats dismantled it and now it's privatised and unaffordable to many workers and peasants. It was 2 steps forward and 20 steps back -- it's not a progress but a regress.
Health care affordable for the masses is on a low priority list for most governments and capitalists and this is the biggest obstacle for research and delivery of new cures of aging and other diseases.
I totally agree. Governments and science institutions need to focus more on anti-aging research. The sooner a cure for aging comes the better.
"free and universal health care". LOL
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch, and there ain't no such thing as free health care.
I'm unimpressed with any government's track record on getting things done, let alone done properly. The idea of governments meddling in aging research makes me worry we'll have universal euthanasia.
God save me from those who want to save me.
Funny, most advances in health care come from the US, a country that doesn't have universal health care. Once we do have it, who's going to provide all the research and advances for the world?
Where will the money come from for all these wonderful predicted advances if all the money's going to provide universal, 3rd world equivalent health care? The only reason many countries can afford their "free" health care is because the US is providing their defense, which, like it or not, you will actually need. Probably sooner than you think.
Astro
++++
If I pay someone for my care, they may actually make an effort.
Nothing is less efficient than the government.