While it’s not a consensus view just yet, Venezuelan futurist Jose Luis Cordeiro says the evidence suggests death and aging really aren’t the inevitable facts of life most people imagine.
A concept called “Longevity Escape Velocity” refers to the theoretical point where technology will be able to extend a person’s lifespan at a faster rate than they age. So even as you grow one year older, your lifespan might increase by two years.
Cordeiro’s colleague David Wood predicts the watershed moment will happen before 2040, while Harvard Professor George Church tips 2037.
But Cordeiro believes it will happen much earlier, in 2030.
“If we make it to 2030, we will basically live long enough to live forever because we will gain one year per year we survive and more and more,” he says.
He believes that by 2045, we will start to be able to reverse aging using rejuvenation therapies on cells and organs, making us as “young” as we choose to be.
If that all sounds far-fetched, Cordeiro makes a compelling case that it’s at least possible.
Artificial intelligence has enabled a massive expansion in our ability to analyze the human genome to understand the key ingredients of longevity and to consider huge arrays of drugs and compounds to zero in on effective treatments.
e says there are already “immortal” cells in the human body and creatures on Earth that never age. If we can unlock their secrets, we can all live as long as we want.
Longevity and the Death of Death: Jose Luis Cordeiro
While it’s not mainstream, Cordeiro is also far from a crank. A fellow of the World Academy For Art and Science and a board member of the Millennium Project, he studied at MIT and received a PhD from Simon Bolivar University. He’s also a candidate for the European Parliament in the upcoming 2024 elections.
He laid out the evidence for his ideas in a 2023 book, The Death of Death, co-authored with Symbian creator Wood.
It looks at recent advances in AI, tissue regeneration, stem cell treatments, organ printing and genetic therapies. Futurist Ray Kurzweil said the book “explains clearly how we might soon reach Longevity Escape Velocity and live long enough to live forever.”
Of course, the concept of biological immortality is a divisive one. Many people believe its pie in the sky fantasy, while others are horrified at the thought of living forever.
“People tell me, ‘I don’t want to live forever,’ and I say, ‘Well, you can die anytime, you know. Death is very easy. I can help you jump’. This is about the option to not die if you don’t want to. That will be optional by the year 2045.”
