‘If They Don’t Die’ : Elon Musk’s Reason on Why Humans Must Die Resurfaces Years Later

Do humans really need to live forever? Is death really a bad thing or is it super necessary? Are the health advancements we are making not needed after a point? Just a short while ago, a tweet has gone viral recalling a comment from a 2022 interview with Elon Musk that has found new sort of relevance in ongoing tech advancements in life extension and longevity.

The post says that Musk’s comments are not a rejection of medical progress but actually a pragmatic view on how society evolves and why there is value in generational renewal. The main point of this is the idea that extending human life too far could stall societal development by sticking cultures and leadership in rigid beliefs that resist change. So, now these ideas have got a huge back and forth started on social media as advances in biotech and anti ageing science make once theoretical questions about longevity more tangible.

Why Musk Said People Should Not Live Forever

Now, Musk’s point on longevity first came into the public during a long interview with Mathias Döpfner, chief executive of Axel Springer, which is one of the world’s largest media companies.

So, in that conversation, he talked on many topics including war, technology and his own views on life and death. But what got perhaps the most attention was his justification of why he thought pushing human lifespan outside some bounds might not be beneficial for society. Moreover, he admitted that staying healthy as long as possible was obviously desirable, but was against trying to extend life too long, because he believed doing so would cause what he termed ‘asphyxiation of society’ as he said,

‘I don’t think we should try to have people live for a really long time. That it would cause asphyxiation of society because the truth is, most people don’t change their mind. They just die. So if they don’t die, we will be stuck with old ideas and society wouldn’t advance. I think we already have quite a serious issue with gerontocracy, where the leaders of so many countries are extremely old. In the US, it’s a very, very ancient leadership. And it is just impossible to stay in touch with the people if you are many generations older than them. The founders of the USA put minimum ages for a local office. But they did not put maximum ages because they did not expect that people will be living so long. They should have. Because for a democracy to function, the leaders must be reasonably in touch with the bulk of the population. And if you’re too young or too old, you can’t say that you will be attached.’

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Musk Has A Very Different View From Other Super Rich

It is shocking that Musk’s past comments are in very much contrast to other tech industry leaders who have reportedly poured big money into longevity research. Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman and Sergey Brin, for example, have supported companies or projects missioned at reversing ageing or extending healthspan through biotechnology and cellular therapies. Musk, though, has publicly said that he is not against the idea of dying and that death should stay a part of the human condition.

Now, coming to the viral tweet thread that has brought these views back into public discussion, it has expanded the idea that Musk was not making a moral argument against health advances or breakthroughs in medicine but was pointing out the cultural and societal implications of radically long lifespans.

The tweet notes that while medical science going for longevity has its positives, there is also a rhythm to human progress driven by generational turnover, which is that fresh ideas many times come from new generations unburdened by older paradigms. In this view, death plays an unheralded role in clearing space for new ideas and innovations, and without that natural cycle, change might be slower and less dynamic.

Obviously, it is now nearly 4 years since that comment by Musk, his views might have changed or might still be the same. However, it’s clear his point from back then is still very relevant.

Originally published on IBTimes UK