Life Extension Should Come with Wisdom: Reflections and Questions for the Geroscience and Longevity Community.

Abstract

Geroscience, or longevity biotechnology, has made impressive advances in recent years that have led to the founding of dozens of start-ups, nonprofits and advocacy organizations, and the formation of a global movement to defeat aging. The community envisions changes at the regulatory and policy levels and calls for increased funding for research. Nevertheless, progress in the field has not been matched by discussions about ethical, legal, and social implications, as longevity advocates assume that seeking to expand lifespan or health span is inherently desirable and permissible. In this article, I make the case for the importance of putting ethics and society back into geroscience, along with three considerations for the longevity community. First, it should seek to understand the needs and attitudes of the public. Second, the community needs to define whether the field is primarily striving for healthy aging (increasing health span) or for extending years of life (lifespan). Third, it needs to define the role of investors and tech millionaires in shaping the field's priorities and direction. This last point raises the question of who is setting the direction of a field that can reshape the meaning of being human.