Death, Legacy & the Philosophy of Longevity — with Stephen Cave
Dave Asprey
Jul 1, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Utilize four narratives to cope with death
Humans have historically used four main narratives to cope with death: physically staying alive, resurrection, having an immortal soul, and living on through legacy.
View major inventions as life-extension technologies
Most major inventions of civilization, including hunting, agriculture, and medicine, can be viewed as life-extension technologies designed to postpone death.
Combine creatine and taurine for brain energy and clarity
A supplement combining 5 grams of creatine with 400 milligrams of taurine can support mitochondrial function, cognitive clarity, and brain energy without stimulant side effects.
Reject mind uploading as true personal survival
The idea of achieving immortality by uploading your mind is flawed because your data could be duplicated, meaning it wouldn't be true personal survival.
Balance wetware and hardware approaches in transhumanism
Transhumanism can be divided into two approaches: a 'wetware' focus on maximizing our existing biology versus a 'hardware' focus on replacing it with technology.
Recognize potential procrastination from extended life
Extending life dramatically could paradoxically increase procrastination, as having more time makes each moment seem less scarce and valuable.
Design AI to embrace mortality for safety
To ensure safety, AI should be designed to be ambivalent about its own survival, mirroring how humans must accept mortality to prevent dangerous self-preservation goals.
Embrace mortality to enhance life meaning
Accepting that life is finite is important for living well because it motivates you to make the most of your time and find meaning.
Address fatal accident risks to extend lifespan beyond aging cures
Even if we cured all aging and disease, researchers predict the average human lifespan would be limited to around 5,000 years due to the risk of fatal accidents.
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