In this intriguing volume, futurist and author Michael G. Zey
imagines a time in which technology has stretched human life spans
to four hundred years or more. Genetic engineering, cloning, and
stem-cell technology will eradicate diseases and allow for
nanoscopic repair and maintenance of the body. "Smart drugs" and
caloric restriction programs will largely stop aging and ensure
healthy bodies and sharp minds indefinitely.
Grounding his speculation in contemporary scientific research,
Zey's optimistic vision sees retirement replaced by hiatuses
between careers, and leisure time spent in multi-generational
homes. Key players in the debate include supporters like Cambridge
University scientist Aubrey de Grey, who envisions
five-thousand-year life spans, and the radical futurist author Ray
Kurzweil, who foresees the merging of humans and computers.
Organizations such as the Coalition to Extend Life lobby the
government for immortality research funding and find opposition in
the President's Council on Bioethics and "deep ecologists"
advocating zero-population growth.
Criticizing current environmental trends as anti-progress and
anti-human, Zey's own solutions include controversial measures like
human control of weather, colonization of outer space, and
genetically modifying food. He concludes that the eventuality of a
modern Fountain of Youth is closer than we think. Zey's predictions
about the future are thoughtful and fascinating.
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