What Value Life?

Modern science continues to predict that we are not far away from extending the average human life span to 120 years. With the baby boomers now reaching retirement age and continuous warnings that social security will not be able to take care of them even if they only reach 80 on average, what does that mean for our society as a whole?

A more fundamental question is should we be attempting to extend life to the age of 120? Novels like Brave New World focus on the idea of a society that has made a conscience decision to euthanize anyone who has gotten past the age of 40. Although there are no real moral overtones in the novel, it is certainly presented to shock us as contrary to human nature to do this as a routine. This type of sentiment has no doubt made its way into our culture which also idolizes youth and beauty more just as it abhors old age and dying.

This is all perceived as betterment of the human condition. And while undoubtedly much of it might benefit the individual, the question is what does it do to the society as a whole? What will the quality of life be for those over 100?

Will they be fully functional, hooked up to machines, or consuming endless quantities of pills? Will people be healthy enough to raise the retirement age? Will we see a two-tier society based on those that have access to the life extending technology versus those who do not? We will decide that a 120 year life expectancy is an entitlement and devote society's resources to extending the life to its fullest limits for everyone as a government program? What will be the cost at the expense of the needs of other members and areas of society?

Will we ever reach a stage where we have extended human life so far that we will be forced to euthanize people past a certain age in order to make room for future generations? Imagine if you grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents were still alive. Where would we all live now? What will the landscape look like in 30 years in nobody dies?

Japan is an example of a society where the focus is on the elderly both in terms of their size and in terms of how much is spent on them for socialized medicine and the like. Demographics show that younger Japanese people are simply not having children at the rates they once were because raising children and buying houses is too expensive. This is a sign of scarcity and the scarcity is likely caused in part, by higher taxes to pay for socialized medicine, and more resources being devoted to the elderly, whether it be land for housing, or services from the private sector.