In a number of countries one plausible path to advocacy for a cause is the establishment of a single issue political party - see, for example, the original Green Party or Pirate Party as successful examples of the type in Europe. The Russian longevity science community is beginning to take this approach: "On July 19, we made the first step towards the creation of the Longevity Party. The initiative group of 10 people gathered together in Moscow to establish the first political party aimed at extending human lifespan using technological advances. ... Among these 10 people were Mikhail Batin, Alexey Turchin, Leonid Kaganov and Elena Milova. This is the very first step in the long and hard process of legally registering a political party. I believe this is one of the most important things that happened in the past few years in fighting aging. Nowhere in the world ever before have people expressed their desire to live longer in the form of a political movement. ... The main goal of the Longevity Party is to increase human lifespan so that people could live for as long as they would like to and remain young and healthy. We would like to achieve this goal by promoting scientific research and technological advances in regenerative medicine, genetics of aging and longevity, neuroscience, computer modeling of biological processes and other areas of life extension. ... The next big thing we need to do is to finalize the Program of the Party. Then we have to have at least 2 people in 42 regions of Russia as representatives of the Party and have the founding meeting after which the Party can be registered and eventually appear in the voting ballots. Our goal is to influence the authorities to support life extension technologies and increase funding for research aimed at improving people's health and extending longevity."
Link: http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/konovalenko201207261
This is not something that interests me. And I can not believe that there are many people that are interested in a political party with the longevity as its sole goal. I find the very idea odd.
JohnD - Are you suggesting that when countries around the world work to improve life expectancy that they're doing something odd?
That's all longevity is - life expectancy. And might I add, if you read this blog, the longevity being referred to here is healthy life expectancy.
Personally, I find it odd (and morally repellent) that you would criticize a single-issue life-span party and not a single-issue piracy or environmentalist party.
Well said Ranjit!
ranjt, to answer your question, no. Obviously if I am a regular reader and poster on this blog then I in favor of live extension science. I merely think the idea of a single issue party to be silly. Where is it that you think I said that other single issue parties were less silly? So, I am repellent in your eyes because I failed to provide a long winded monologue on all my political views?
Listen, if you post a brief comment that a single-issue longevity party is silly or odd, then you bet you're going to be questioned on it.
And since aging is the leading moral issue today, given the prospect of being able to do something about it in the next century, then yes I reserve the right to call such a view repellent. Your comment implies that longevity as a sole goal for a party is bizarrely myopic. Considering more suffering and death is caused by aging than any other cause, or indeed all other causes combined, I couldn't disagree more.
Single issue parties are not so rare. In fact most of the independentist parties belong in this category.
They usually pursue a single radical idea, but longevity science requires a radical paradigm shift, so why not?
Honestly, I cannot believe most people don't support or unaware of research being done to decrease aging and achieve biological immortality. We talk about in society as death being one of the greatest of all evils yet not a lot of support goes to this.
I can think of no more urgent goal due to wide ranging benefits that defeating age related decrepitude would bring to society. Many nations face severe economic issues in relation to their aging populations.