Posthuman Blues

'We will be able to live to 1,000'

"Ageing is a physical phenomenon happening to our bodies, so at some point in the future, as medicine becomes more and more powerful, we will inevitably be able to address ageing just as effectively as we address many diseases today."

I think this guy's beard must be well over a 1,000 years-old (see link).

I agree with his essay -- to a point. It seems transhumanism is beginning to spill into popular culture in the same way that the word "meme" has infiltrated the mainstream lexicon. Right now we're seeing a faddish pop-romance with the concept of physical immortality that probably has more to do with hope than science -- which is good because it exposes more people to the real possibility of radically extended lifespans, and bad because it does away with realistic expectations and naively assumes that we're zeroing in on a medical paradigm shift.

But reality is trickier -- and more deadly.