Ethical Issues

Genetic Modification

It is likely that some conditions will be treated most easily by modifying the body's genetic material. Many people are disturbed by this idea, especially if the modification is transmissible to offspring. However, once we have a nanotechnology that can directly manipulate the genes, transmission of modified genes need not be a cause for concern. Any genetic manipulation that turns out to be a bad idea will be reversible. Furthermore, it would be trivial to edit the DNA of any offspring while still in embryo stage in order to remove the modifications. The idea that a genetic modification will irreversibly change the whole species becomes incorrect once genes can easily be directly manipulated.

Overpopulation

A common objection to life extension is that if everyone lives forever, the earth will become overcrowded. However, a little math will demonstrate that the earth can become overcrowded much faster due to excess births than due to reduced death. If everyone killed themselves after 80 years of life, that act would remove only one person from the population; meanwhile their children and grandchildren would be reproducing. But a person who chose to live a long time and have one fewer child would be reducing the population by more than one, since a nonexistent person can't have children. (Robert J. Bradbury points out that nanotechnology will also give us cheaper access to space. Using a fairly basic design (see references), it would be feasible for earth's entire population to leave the earth and live in space.)

Poor Health

Today, people are kept alive for years in terrible health, sometimes beyond the point where they wish to die. This has given life extension a bad reputation. Merely extending life without improving health is often a bad idea. The good news is that if health is improved, life will naturally be extended. Once we have the technology to eliminate diseases, we need no longer worry about living on in bad health.