Immortality: From Gilgamesh to Silicon Valley

The desire to extend one’s life beyond the natural boundaries which nature has established and the desire to be immortal have been present in humanity’s history likely since the first moment when we gained the ability to ponder our own existence. In the eras before modern science humanity has continuously sought immortality, life extension and youthful rejuvenation. From mythical legendary rulers like the Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh, to the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang Di, to the alchemy of ancient and medieval China and Europe all have searched for the elixir of immortality and the Philosopher’s Stone. Soon after the scientific revolution, and especially after the establishment of germ theory, research into why and how people aged increased dramatically. By the 1970’s there were numerous theories on why and how aging occurred such as the Free Radical Theory, the Antagonistic Pleiotropy Theory, DNA damage theory and the Telomere shortening theory. However, research into how to reverse or halt the process of aging was virtually nonexistent as it was seen as a realm of pseudoscience and science fiction. Beginning in the 1980’s philosophers, futurists and fans of science fiction began to seriously make predictions about the likelihood of science to be able to develop methods to extend the human lifespan. Eventually these various ideas coalesced into a single intellectual movement which came to be called “Transhumanism,” which is defined as the promotion of the improvement of human beings by inventing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can extend life and cognition. Though many of the ideas they talked about were about technologies that may be centuries away from being created or may even be impossible their recontextualizing of the ancient desire of immortality within a scientific context eventually helped inspire actual scientists to pursue life extension research in the subsequent years. Thanks in part to the efforts of the Transhumanist, the turn of the 21st century saw research into life extension accelerate and by the mid-2010s countless Silicon Valley based life extension research companies had sprung up with the goal to get down to the absolute root causes of aging by “hacking” the genomic data (gleaned from the Human Genome Project) while trying to identify genetic pathways that can bypass aging and age related disease altogether. The final goal is to then collaborate with the pharmaceutical industry to develop treatment plans for people to use to halt aging

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Sources:

The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. Translated by Andrew R. George (reprinted ed.). London, England: Penguin Books. 2003 [1999]

Sima Qian (1993). Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty. Translated by Burton Watson (3rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press

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Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health

What Is Antagonistic Pleiotropy?

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Walter, Chip (2020). Immortality, Inc.: Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever: National Geographic

What is Epigenetics?

[emilianozamora]

It’s interesting how the search for immortality is inherently related to the invention of modern science. Good video

[prodbysaze]

Watched the whole thing dude. Great video. Started my morning with some hope for the future. ❤

[rebecar.]

This is my favorite video from you. The visuals are amazing. I really enjoyed watching this one. Can’t wait to see the next one.

[guardianevan]

Really cool video dude, and best yet you provide all your sources! Helps people who are interested research furhter :). Its interesting how much detail there is to Qin Shi Huang's life, despite being so ancient

[danserpourlavie]

Interesting topic about immortality, love it! Perhaps one day we all live to 150 years old. 😊 I look forward to watching you next video. Keep up the good work! Thank you for spreading good vibes! 👍😍

[aridia]

They are so focused on living for such a loong time and extend their existence, but i have a better question...

Why live in the first place ?

[johnbruce]

Surely the greatest effort to achieve and encourage mass immortality must be attributed to the Biblical New Testament, wherein lies the promise of Resurrection on the Day of Judgement, assuming you have lived according to the precepts and admonitions of a good Christian life? Everyone is promised eternal life in the Heavenly Kingdom after death upon baptism and remaining steadfast in their faith for Jesus Christ, who, so the Bible claims, did indeed rise from the dead after three days to sit beside the right hand of God. This was a far better prospect than the Old Testament's dismal, lifeless, Sheol. Why have you not included the quest for immortality through Christian theology? Gilgamesh's immortality was achieved by inscribing his name on the mud bricks that built his city walls. Thus the instruction to "Walk upon the battlements of Uruk." That became his real immortal inheritance in the face of his mortality.