The chutzpah of Silicon Valley’s elite is rarely in doubt, but the conceit of their most recent ambition is especially controversial. Nothing less than that holy grail of alchemy is being sought: immortality.
The thought of Messrs Thiel and Bezos living forever might send many of us running for early retirement. But while tech billionaires explore moonshot ideas such as tissue engineering, organ printing, cryonics, digital consciousness and even, chillingly, “young donors”, there are a number of products on the market already making claims to life extension. They may not align with the claims of some extension fanatics that the first person to live to 1,000 is already alive, but instead come closer to Elon Musk’s aspiration to get to a good 100 years.
“Good” is relevant here. For the truth is that while our lifespan might be increasing, our healthspan is actually decreasing. Government health data shows 20 per cent of men’s lives are now spent in poor health, and that figure is increasing. For women it’s even greater – up to 23 per cent. What’s the point in elongating life if you spend that time suffering in poor health?