[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

AI was developed partially in the hope of solving the problem of aging.

What problem? Any system that is subject to wear and tear will eventually cease to function. Any system that involves (indeed relies on) replication and replacement with no external blueprint will gradually acquire errors that may eventually inhibit some critical internal function.

You have the options to ignore it, accept it, or try to find a way to solve it. The last option requires a deeper understanding of the problem and it's detail mechanisms, which is hard, and not everyone is willing to accept the costs for it.

[alancalverd]

I still object to the use of "solve". Ageing isn't a problem, it's a solution. If living things didn't die, the planet would be choked with old ones and there would be no space for new ones. Not a problem unless the middle-aged ones felt some desire to reproduce and make things worse.

So death is essential, and the only way top predators die is by intentional slaughter or inherent decay.  The species  homo sapiens includes several parasitic forms who tell us that death is a Bad Thing and assisted suicide is evil, so there are a few who devote their lives to preventing death at any cost. You can do this either by preventing ageing, which leads to the problem of a world overpopulated by very old people, or "striving officiously to keep alive" those suffering from incurable disease or decay, which we have deemed is illegal if the patient is a member of another species.

To my mind the hallmark of civilisation is  that every citizen can choose how and when he dies. But "never" cannot be an option, so ageing is essential.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

I still object to the use of "solve". Ageing isn't a problem, it's a solution. If living things didn't die, the planet would be choked with old ones and there would be no space for new ones. Not a problem unless the middle-aged ones felt some desire to reproduce and make things worse.

The problem is degenerative diseases.
 Why should we make older individuals more helpless and less productive as their age increase?

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

So death is essential, and the only way top predators die is by intentional slaughter or inherent decay. 

Death were essential as long as we haven't found a way to make genetic improvement in already living individuals.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

The species  homo sapiens includes several parasitic forms who tell us that death is a Bad Thing and assisted suicide is evil, so there are a few who devote their lives to preventing death at any cost.

On the other hand, some said that death is a good thing. They even persuade others to commit suicide bombings. Some also become suicide bombers themselves.

[alancalverd]

 Why should we make older individuals more helpless and less productive as their age increase?

We don't. God does.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

Why should we make older individuals more helpless and less productive as their age increase?

We don't. God does.

Why can't we try to stop it?
Why shouldn't we try to stop it?

[alancalverd]

You can try, but unless you want to create a world increasingly stuffed with starving pensioners, you shouldn't.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

You can try, but unless you want to create a world increasingly stuffed with starving pensioners, you shouldn't.

Health and fitness issue should be solved first before mortality issue. If someone aged 100 has the same productivity as when they were 30, they don't have to be starving. They can still have positive net impact to their society.

[alancalverd]

If someone aged 100 has the same productivity as when they were 30, they don't have to be starving.

But they still have to eat, which means, ultimately, we can't feed any new babies.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

If someone aged 100 has the same productivity as when they were 30, they don't have to be starving.

But they still have to eat, which means, ultimately, we can't feed any new babies.

Some of the adults will still die from various causes. The birth rate can be adjusted to the death rate and resource production rate.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

Asteroid Impact In 2032 - What Are The Chances? What Can We Do?

My take on Asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 2.3% chance of colliding with the Earth in 2032, an event that's likely comparable to a multi megaton nuclear weapon. The odds are still good that it'll miss, but the chances may look worse before they get better, and there's a real chance we can't honestly know the answer

Should we let our future be determined by random natural events? Or should we try to determine our own future?

[alancalverd]

Some of the adults will still die from various causes.

Which are steadily being eliminated by 20th century medicine and engineering. Having been vaccinated against diphtheria and polio, and thus avoided early death, I would have died from natural causes a couple of weeks ago but now have a pacemaker which should carry me into my 10th decade.

[alancalverd]

Should we let our future be determined by random natural events?

It is. Even if we deflect incoming asteroids, we cannot control the climate nor prevent the evolution of new viruses.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

Should we let our future be determined by random natural events?

It is. Even if we deflect incoming asteroids, we cannot control the climate nor prevent the evolution of new viruses.

What makes you think we can't?

[alancalverd]

We cannot generate enough power to alter  the wind or disperse clouds over the entire planet for ever. Viruses evolve at random and out of sight until they become, literally, virulent.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

We cannot generate enough power to alter  the wind or disperse clouds over the entire planet for ever.

Bad weather may kill many people, but it's unlikely to drive human into extinction, because it tends to be local phenomena.
If we have adequately accurate and precise model of how the weather is formed, we can change it in our favor by geoengineering, like turning wind farm or solar farms on or off in various time. The effects can be amplified if we can use butterfly effect for our advantage.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

Viruses evolve at random and out of sight until they become, literally, virulent.

Virus can't infect everyone all at once. AI can help identify the genetic sequence, how it work, and create the antivirus.
With humans being more dispersed, the chance of extinction caused by virus can be significantly reduced.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

Hate Elon Musk All You Want, But He Is Right About Space

"Occupy Mars" is a good idea, actually.
It's not just something we should do, it's something we must do.

Content:
0:00​ Intro
2:00​ What Can We Do... Now?
4:32​ Can We Do It Now?
6:01​ Do It. Now.

[hamdani yusuf (OP)]

SpaceX founder Elon Musk outlines why he thinks investing in space exploration is important. He argues that he started the private space transport company not out of pessimism about the human race, but rather because he believes moving to the cosmos is an important step in human evolution.

-----

An interview with ELON MUSK
Chief Executive Officer, SpaceX

Moderator: VIJAY VAITHEESWARAN
Global Correspondent, The Economist

The Ideas Economy is an online forum that convenes experts from around the world on the subjects of innovation, intelligent infrastructure, information, and human potential.

Based on a series of live events from The Economist, The Ideas Economy attracts a community of active participants from business, government, non-profits and the academy who are interested in collaborating to solve global challenges, develop new ideas, and contribute to human progress.