Here at the IEET we are very excited about a new initiative being launched by the gerontologist Jay Olshansky, in alliance with many people around the world, to get governments to commit to anti-aging research. (You may remember our helping to promote a similar initiative last year: http://cureaging.org/ )
The simple logic of the argument is captured by Olshansky et al.’s phrase “longevity dividend,” the amount of money that future pension and health systems will be able to save if we can all stay younger and healthier longer. Not to mention the added vigor of economies if more seniors are able to stay engaged with their careers, and if their loved ones can spend less of their work, family and personal lives in exhausting care-giving. Or just that extra healthy years would simply be a blessing for us all.
See this article from the Scientist for a fuller elaboration of the Longevity Dividend concept:
http://ieet.org/archive/TheScientist.pdf
And this is the appeal:
http://ieet.org/archive/LongevityDividend.doc
Dr. Olshansky and his colleagues are looking for endorsements from people with institutional affiliations, to be presented at an event on Capitol Hill on September 12, 2006. If you are willing to endorse the attached appeal please send Jay your name, your degree(s), and your affiliation.
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James Hughes Ph.D.
Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
http://ieet.org
Editor, Journal of Evolution and Technology
http://jetpress.org
Williams 229B, Trinity College 300 Summit St., Hartford CT 06106
(office) 860-297-2376
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Dear fellow scientists and public health advocates:
In March of this year we published an article in The Scientist entitled “In Pursuit of the Longevity Dividend” (http://ieet.org/archive/TheScientist.pdf) in which we contend that the time has arrived for governments and national health care organizations to invest in the extension of healthy life by recognizing that one of the most efficient ways to do so would be to aggressively pursue the means to slow aging in humans.
We suggest that even a relatively small deceleration in the rate of aging would yield the equivalent of simultaneous major breakthroughs involving every major fatal and non-fatal disease and disorder associated with aging. As a way to follow through with our recommendation, we are planning an event on Capitol Hill on September 12, 2006. At this event there will be U.S. Senators from both sides of the isle, Nobel Laureates, representatives of national and international health organizations, and scientists – all of whom will be advocating an investment in the pursuit of the Longevity Dividend.
We would like the attached 2-page document [http://ieet.org/archive/LongevityDividend.doc] to represent a summary of our collective enthusiasm and support for this effort – a document we anticipate will be endorsed by a large number of scientists, health advocates, public health experts, and anyone else interested in seeing an increased effort to pursue the extension of healthy life. This document will be handed to representatives of Congress as evidence of our commitment and support. We would like to you consider placing your name on this document [all of the names will appear in alphabetical order].
Should you decide you are willing to lend your name to this, please send an e-mail with your name as you would like it to appear, your degree(s), and affiliation to S. Jay Olshansky sjayo @ uic.edu with “Longevity Dividend” in the subject heading. A copy of the final document will be sent to everyone just before the September 12 event. I would encourage you to disseminate these articles far and wide – we see this as an international effort.
With Best Wishes,
S. Jay Olshansky
Daniel Perry
Richard Miller
Robert Butler
S. Jay Olshansky, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago
1603 West Taylor Street, Room 885
Chicago, Illinois 60612
1-312-355-4668 (voice - work)
1-847-537-7278 (voice - home)
1-847-537-7188 (fax)
sjayo @ uic.edu
Senior Research Associate
Center on Aging, University of Chicago and
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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