Longer, Healthier Lives: The Science and Ethics of Longevity

​Could helping people live longer, healthier lives be a promising cause for effective altruism?

​Join us for an evening exploring longevity science with Vladimir Leshko, Chief Operating Officer at Unlimited Bio, and Marc Smeehuijzen, a longtime follower of the field.

​We’ll explore what we currently understand about aging and discuss recent findings from animal and human studies. We’ll unpack the difference between lifespan—how long we live—and healthspan—how long we live in good health. We’ll also consider longevity research as a potential EA cause area through the Importance, Tractability, and Neglectedness (ITN) framework: How much good could progress achieve? How feasible is it? And how overlooked is the field?

​After the talk, we’ll break into group discussions to explore ethical and societal questions: Could longer lives lead to overpopulation? Does it matter whether life extension is “natural”? Would treatments only benefit the wealthy? And what about the prospect of “immortal dictators”?