Do you want to live forever? The Mortality Paradox

Philosopher Stephen Cave says that we humans struggle with something he calls “The Mortality Paradox.” We know that death is inevitable, and yet we cannot conceive of not existing. Instead, we make up stories that help us live with this existential conundrum.

These narratives include the search for the Fountain of Youth, ideas about resurrection, rebirth, the immortality of the soul, and the value of what we leave behind—like children.

While our life spans have increased dramatically over the last century thanks to science and medicine, the longevity industry now promises to defy aging—and even death itself.

How would living to 150 and beyond change what it means to be alive? Does our mortality make life more precious and meaningful? Is aging an illness to be cured? How can we deal with our fear of death?

Our guest, Stephen Cave, is a professor at Cambridge University and director of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. He’s the author of Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization, and co-author of Should You Choose to Live Forever?