Longevity and Equality
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Ethical Concerns
Counterarguments
1) Governments would be incentivised to subsidise longevity technologies
2) The cost of technologies come down over time
While there may be cost-related inequality of access to anti-aging treatments in the short term, it is likely that over time the cost of these treatments would decrease, and they would become more accessible to the general population[1]. Many technological innovations, such as mobile phones and genome sequencing, were initially prohibitively expensive for the majority of the population, but had prices driven down to affordable levels by market forces[1].
Similar technological examples
Full Genome Sequencing
Full genome sequencing has undergone a dramatic decrease in cost from around one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) to around one thousand dollars ($1000) per genome[1][2]. This decrease in cost occurred within a period of around seven years, and was due to innovation of more efficient and cost-effective techniques[1][2]. Development of genome sequencing techniques continues, and the costs associated are likely to decrease even further[2].
Commercial Airfares
Between 1979 and 1994, and adjusting for inflation, air fares per passenger mile decreased by 8-11%[3]. Increased competition from low-fare airlines since the U.S. Aviation industry was deregulated in 1978 was the main driver of the price decrease[3]. Between 1995 and 2021, and adjusting for inflation, the annual average of U.S. domestic itinerary fares continued to decrease, with a cumulative change of -43.9%[4].
- automobiles
Market forces drive down prices, due to huge demand
3) Current inequality in medicines has not been a reason to slow medical research
- If anti-aging treatments did exist, would they be available and affordable for everyone who wanted them?
- If not, how would it be determined who would access them?
- Would some socio-economic classes be able to access the treatments, but others not?
- What impacts would some parts of the population having access, and other parts not having access have on equality?
- Would it increase the life expectancy gap between socio-economic classes?
- Would this cause or enable discrimination (e.g. employers only want employees who've had the treatments, as they're likely to have a longer working life)?
- Would this increase the economic inequality between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' as those without access to anti-aging treatments would have more hospital bills/shorter working lives?
Resources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181029165555.htm
https://www.lifespan.io/news/only-the-rich/
https://www.lifespan.io/news/lifextenshow-will-life-extension-be-only-for-the-rich/
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2020/04/aubrey-de-grey-talks-about-longevity-for-rich-and-poor-people
Billionaires who are investing in the space: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/04/1034364/altos-labs-silicon-valleys-jeff-bezos-milner-bet-living-forever/
https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/10/selfless-is-immortality-only-for-the-rich.html
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wood, D. (2016). The Abolition of Aging.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 National Human Genome Research Institute. (2020). The Cost of Sequencing a Human Genome. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Sequencing-Human-Genome-cost
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Anderson, J. H. (1996). DOMESTIC AVIATION: Changes in Airfares, Service, and Safety Since Airline Deregulation. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-96-126/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-96-126.pdf
- ↑ Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2021). Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare in Current and Constant Dollars. https://www.bts.gov/content/annual-us-domestic-average-itinerary-fare-current-and-constant-dollars
