I cloud over when I hear these statements. I don’t verbally respond because I’ve decided it’s useless - the ideological chasm between us is too wide. I’ve divided humanity into two camps - transhumanists, and non-transhumanists. I used to call the latter “deathists” when I was ruder.

Now I’m politer, but I’m increasingly impatient with non-transhumanists. Everyone tuned into medical news knows research is accelerating rapidly for indefinite lifespans. Transhumanism’s primary goal has been embraced by the deep pockets of the corporate world, with Google launching Calico and Google Venture’s president and managing partner - Bill Maris - claiming we can live to be 500 years old.



The resistance of non-transhumanists to life extension irritates me. Their stubborn adherence to “death on the traditional schedule” depicts either a pitiful lack of imagination or a narrow pessimism, i.e., “I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

Transhumanism has graduated from being a minuscule fringe to a larger, impactful force. Zoltan Istvan’s Presidential campaign is gathering attention, and public entertainment like Ex Machina, and Humans delivers H+ ideas to a wide-eyed, curious public.

I’m convinced millions of Americans have already embraced transhumanist ideals.

Two examples are my 61-year-old brother and my 57-year-old cousin. Both are successful businessmen who are emotionally optimistic, physically fit, and unaware of the transhumanist movement.

“I’m not going to die,” says my 57-year-old cousin, who regularly surfs big waves, hunts big game, and dances all night in gay bars. “Why should I?”

“I’m stronger than ever,” says my 61-year-old brother. “Smarter, too.” He still beats his 26-year-old son in arm wrestling. His son: a buffalo-chested, 210 pound farm manager.

My brother and my cousin assert their life extension opinions without any awareness of transhumanism. They’re just alpha doers who probably view aging as another obstacle that they can tackle and defeat.

Transhumanism has millions of allies like this, positive people who don’t see anything positive about aging and death, especially for themselves. These allies will propel life extension into the forefront of national discussions.

Radical Life Extension has already been defined as a human right. Eric Schulke of Movement for Life Extension (MILE) states this in essays comparing RLE to the Civil Rights Movement, like this one HERE co-written with Gennady Stolyarov II.

Eric is correct. Ending death will be a social struggle, similar to struggles that ended slavery, serfdom, and racial injustice, and promoted women’s rights, labor rights, prison reform, land distribution, democracy, gay rights, etc.



The movement to indefinitely delay death will evolve - like all previous social struggles - from fringe quackery to revolutionary potential to broad appeal challenging the status quo.

New ideas require significant time to be accepted by the public. Bernie Sanders, for example, was defeated by landslides in his first four campaigns, receiving, on average, just 6% of the vote. 40 years later with the same platform, he’s vying to be the Democratic Presidential nominee.

Radical Life Extension will succeed as a revolutionary idea because its followers are are committed - literally, “their lives are at stake.”

Plus, their opposition is “soft.” Religious foes - overly feared by transhumanists - will fail to materialize. Christian transumanists will persuade their congregations that God favors prolonged human existence because “life is good.”

The battle for Radical Life Extension will NOT be primarily philosophical, or political, or religious, or economic, or environmental. It is - first and foremost - just the latest step in the aeons-long Medical War that humanity has fought against disease, aging, and death ever since the first primitive herbalist offered prescriptions.

Cures that work, cures that guarantee extended life, are the finest propaganda that transhumanism can offer.

My 61-year-old brother and 57-year-old cousin are eager customers for those cures, even if they never read IEET or join MILE. The transhumanist revolution will be won, with Amazon clicks, and votes for politicians anti-aging research.

Will the victorious revolution for Radical Life Extension be quick, or incrementally slow? Gay marriage rights in the United States zoomed from Massachusetts’s initial acceptance in 2004, to all 50 states by 2015 - a mere eleven years. Social acceptance for indefinite life spans will be, in my opinion, even quicker.

Scientific breakthroughs are dependent on funding, though, and that, unfortunately, might be delayed by “black swans” - unpredictable occurrences that hinder economic progress. Climate catastrophes, wars, famine, economic meltdowns… numerous roadblocks can pop up.

Humanity needs resilient social structures that can withstand unpredictable problems, and guarantee prosperity for all. That's why I support democratic movements, basic income guarantee, free education, and "transhumanitarian" aid to the needy.

Social Fairness = Strong Economies = Research Funding = Radical Life Extension