Anne C. recently commented on those folk who object to resources devoted to serious attempts to engineer healthy life extension on the grounds that we should be tackling preventable disease and poverty instead. This is a variation of "equality" viewpoints based around halting progress or tearing down the wealthy - strategies bound to result in poverty for everyone, as they destroy the very engine that creates wealth and technology.

Arguments based on inequality are, at root, made from a misunderstanding - willful or otherwise - of the way in which wealth, medicine and technology are best created. Rapid progress for all requires a free market, strong rule of law and property rights. Such a culture necessarily has a power law distribution of ownership and success. There's a reason the US has led the world in technology, for all that it's going to the dogs nowadays - it's the flip side of the reason that communism, socialism and the politics of envy lead to poverty and suffering.

Creating "equality" by taking from the successful ruins the creation of wealth - very much a non-zero sum game - for all. It takes away the vital incentives and rewards for success. At the end of the process, as demonstrated by all that transpired in the Soviet Union, you are left with the same old inequalities, but now taking place amongst ruins, starvation and disease.

We should embrace inequality in all things that are still expensive enough to require rationing, as it is a natural consequence of the best possible path to creating plenty via rising wealth, falling costs and increasing quality of service and goods. Which is not to say don't help those less fortunate than yourself - just don't set out to help in dumb, counterproductive ways that do little more than make you feel better about yourself. When you advance the edge of progress, the bar of wellbeing is raised for everyone, rich and poor. In any case, Anne had this to say:

Funding longevity research or initiatives like SENS does not mean anyone is ignoring the plight of people in developing nations who lack basic medical care and education. The world is literally teeming with people, many of which have organized to take on the challenges of addressing global suffering -- and though things definitely are not perfect, they are improving in some respects, and I expect that this will continue.

Also, just because people don't announce it publicly every time they make a charitable donation or engage in some sort of endeavor associated with addressing a global threat or crisis, this doesn't mean they aren't doing anything or contributing. I object to the characterization of, say, life-extensionists as people who only care about "the rich". As far as I can tell, all of us who are involved in longevity advocacy care about people, plain and simple. Regardless of age, income, country of origin, ethnic background, you name it.

A person can, and should, maintain awareness of what is going on in the world at large, but this does not mean they can devote all their time and resources to every cause that comes along. If you want to change the world and help people, that doesn't just entail waving your arms around and lamenting what is going wrong, but choosing a few targets and putting some time and energy into them.

Humans may be fairly adept at organizing to get tasks accomplished, but it seems much more likely that more will be accomplished through the parallel efforts of numerous, focused organizations and groups than by everyone trying to get together in one big mass and pick one problem and beat at it until it's gone. The complexity of the world, and the sheer size of the population, makes that a ridiculous prospect.

There is no shame in focusing on a single good cause - there are many people in this world, and many resources lying idle; if you want something done, get up and help do it. You can't do everything, or even just a few things well.

I'm happy to hear challenges to a focus on healthy life extension from those who are working hard on other causes; their devotion is part and parcel of the facets of human nature that get things done and persuade others to the cause. It comes with the territory - you can't throw yourself heart and soul into a task without the conviction that everyone else should be doing exactly the same. There are days on which I'll be saying more or less the same thing right back in return. There is nothing wrong with persuasion.

The undesirables who would be better served by silence are the vocal folk relaxing in their armchairs - or political types ever ready to loudly wield the power of the state to force others to shoulder burdens, but who will never lift a finger nor give a dollar from their own wallets to help out. There's plenty of shame to go around in those quarters.

Technorati tags: activism, life extension

Posted by Reason at January 13, 2007 6:55 PM | TrackBack (0)