[alicebot-aiethics] hawking deserves the best AI or new body we can give him

[Tamara Thompson]

Well, either way, 30 or 80, why shouldn't the average life expectantcy be 100+
and healthy?  Isn't that what we are doing with modern research in dna, disease
control, organ transplants and cloning?

The population issue is the only real hindrance to longevity, isn't it?
(Or is boredom a factor?  :) )   (Hoping overpopulation leads us to explore
other worlds)

Reminds me of 'Logan's Run', where people were terminated at 30, to prevent
overpopulation.

Christo * wrote:

> >I agree that it'd be nice to outfit Hawking with bionics or something.
> >But I'd like to point out that until quite recently, in the scheme of
> >history, people only lived into their 30's!
> >
>
> I agree that only in this century has the average life span in the western
> world rise into the 60s or 70s, but I think it only fair to point out that
> pre-Mediaeval Europe, in Greece and Rome, it was not unheard of to live into
> their 80s. Indeed, one couldn't even become Consul in Rome until one was in
> their mid to late 30's, and to become a part of the Spartan Gerousia
> (roughly a Senate-style body) you had to be at least 60 years old! It is
> estimated that roughly half of all Legionarries survived their 20 years of
> service, which was often near continous fighting, giving them, at the very
> least, a life expectancy greater than 30!
>
> I would say that average life expectancy in these two civilisations would
> have been at least 50, if not higher.
>
> I think your conclusion is right though - that this century has seen a much
> greater supply of brain power available to be used. But I would argue this
> is based on an ever widening access to education and more leisure time to
> use it in.
>
> Cheers!
> Christo
>
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