Arguments against funding longevity science - and why they are all wrongOn Wednesday 8th of April, public rallies and other events are taking place around the world in support of greater funding for research into longer healthy lifespans.
[The Fund Longevity website](https://fundlongevity.org/en/why/) makes the case as follows:
***Aging Is a Problem***: Aging kills around 110,000 people every day. It is the primary risk factor behind nearly all major non-infectious diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Beyond statistics, aging causes decades of frailty, pain, and loss of independence. It is the greatest source of human suffering that is being accepted as "normal".
***This Is Personal***: Everyone you love will age, suffer, and die because of it. So will you. If we had the ability to prevent this, choosing not to would be deeply unethical. If we can stop aging, we should.
***Stopping Aging Is Possible***: Aging is not a mystery or a force of nature. It is a biological process — and biological processes can be studied, modified, and treated. Over the past decades, scientists have identified many of the core mechanisms that drive aging at the cellular and molecular level. While our understanding is incomplete, it is already sufficient to begin developing real therapies.
***What Do We Mean by "Stopping Aging"?*** We mean treating aging as a medical condition. The goal is to restore and maintain youthful biological function — roughly equivalent to being in your twenties — for as long as you choose. This would prevent or reverse age-related diseases instead of treating them one by one.
***Is This Really Realistic?*** Yes. Thousands of scientists have publicly stated that aging is a solvable problem in the [Dublin Longevity Declaration](https://dublinlongevitydeclaration.org/). Research already shows that aging can be slowed, paused, or reversed in laboratory organisms. Some animals exhibit negligible aging or extreme longevity. Nature has already demonstrated that aging is avoidable — humans simply haven't applied these solutions to ourselves yet.
***Is It Difficult?*** Extremely. Reversing aging in humans will likely be more difficult than landing on the Moon. It will require entirely new biotechnologies and breakthroughs that don't exist yet. We will need to remove senescent cells, repair or replace damaged tissues, and solve many other problems we don't fully understand. This is one of the most difficult challenges humanity has ever faced, but just because it is difficult does not mean it is impossible. Many scientists agree that there are no fundamental laws of physics that prohibits stopping aging. Nature has done it in several animals already, like the hydra.
***What's Missing?*** Scale. Today, fewer than a thousand people worldwide are seriously working on solving aging — researchers, biotech founders, and advocates combined. That number needs to grow by at least 1000×. There is no major government agency dedicated to ending aging. Funding is fragmented. Regulation is outdated. Public urgency is nearly nonexistent. This will not change on its own.
***Why We Act***: Aging is the largest cause of death and suffering on Earth. Solving it requires a society-wide effort — scientific, political, and cultural. That's why we organize. That's why we demonstrate. That's why we demand action. Join us — and help make aging optional for humans and animals.\*
== London Futurists gathering on 8th April ==
The arguments for greater funding for longevity science are strong - but at least a dozen arguments are often raised in opposition to such funding.
In our gathering in *Ye Olde Cock Tavern* in Fleet Street, we'll take the opportunity to review these arguments - debating their merits, taking them apart brick by brick, and exploring what really lies behind these arguments.
*Anyone who wishes to make a short presentation on this topic during this gathering should contact the organisers in advance.*
== Schedule ==
5:30pm: The room is available, for early get-togethers
6pm-6:45pm: Food is served; informal conversations
6:45pm-8:30pm: A number of interactive conversations, interspersed with opportunities to visit the bar
8:30pm: Informal networking
== RSVP please ==
Registrations are capped at 40 people.
*First-time attendees are welcome.*
There's no charge to register or attend, but the pub will expect everyone to order at least one drink, and a reasonable number of attendees to [order some food to eat](https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/ye-olde-cock-tavern/menu?type=main+menu).
Please order your food on your arrival, so that all plates can be set aside by 6:45pm to allow everyone to concentrate on the main discussion!
== More about the venue ==
Ye Olde Cock Tavern, 22 Fleet Street, Holborn, London, EC4Y 1AA
See [https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/ye-olde-cock-tavern](https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/ye-olde-cock-tavern)
We'll be meeting in the room at the top of the stairs, though drinks should be ordered from the bar on the ground floor.
\*\* Note that this is an in-person meeting, and there will be no remote access, sorry \*\*