Editor's Note: This article was collaboratively written by four authors—Twone, Senxum, Wingo, and K, which involves longevity issues and some pioneering experiments of longevity in crypto world. When so much attention has been drawn to longevity, these four authors delve into the reasons behind human mortality.
This is first piece produced under the Content Co-creation mechanism, an initiative that encourages collaborative writing efforts. Enjoy your reading!
⏰ Estimated Reading Time: 21mins
Unceasing quest for longevity & human Moral Principles: Taking Vita DAO as An Example
When we discuss longevity, what are we truly discussing?
Human curiosity knows no bounds. And human never cease exploration of our own limits and the boundaries of the universe. Generation after generation, we always seek ways to extend our lifespans through various technologies and means, allowing our minuscule bodies to survive for an extra second in the vast cosmos.
Humanity is ephemeral, yet it yearns for eternity.
In the distant ancient times, powerful emperors aspired to build grand tombs, ventured eastward in search of elixirs of immortality, and practiced alchemical concoctions to attain longevity; ancient Egypt preserved human bodies as mummies, soaked in fragrances to achieve imperishability, defying the passage of time. In recent centuries, the birth of modern medicine significantly extended the average human lifespan and improved overall health; most individuals no longer succumb to dysentery, smallpox, or the common cold, but rather face the growth of tumors and the onset of cancer through cellular metabolism. Today, with the advent of the crypto world, novel modes of organization are also attempting, in more radical ways, to uncover the secret of human immortality.
Vita DAO is a great example. Vita DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) focused on biotechnology and healthcare. Its core activities encompass funding biotech projects, advancing scientific research, fostering medical innovation, and accelerating technology transfer. It encourages members to propose innovative project ideas, which are then evaluated and voted upon for funding. Through this approach, Vita DAO aims to provide financial support and nurture for biotech innovation, while promoting the advancement of the biomedical field.
However, it grapples with challenges and criticisms concerning its bioethical governance. One of the central critiques is the lack of well-defined rules and guidelines within Vita DAO's governance structure. Bioethics involves ethical considerations and principles related to biological research, medical practices, and the development of biotechnologies. These considerations encompass issues such as informed consent, privacy, data protection, potential harm to individuals or communities, and the broad societal and environmental impacts of biotechnologies.
In the absence of explicit rules and guidelines, Vita DAO might encounter difficulties in ensuring that the projects it funds and supports adhere to rigorous ethical standards. This raises concerns about funding and supporting unethical or contentious research, potentially leading to negative consequences for individuals, society, and Vita DAO's reputation.
Furthermore, the lack of clear guidance on bioethics may lead to inconsistencies in Vita DAO's internal decision-making processes. Without a transparent and robust framework to assess and decide upon bioethics-related matters, each step taken becomes a journey through thorns, unseen swamps, and a veil of darkness.
If Humans Never Die: The World We Know Would Cease to Exist
Meta has mentioned an intriguing perspective in their podcast: everything in the natural world breaks down in a way that becomes nutrients for new life forms. Through this cycle of death and rebirth, life iterates and recycles itself. Death is not a bug; it's a feature. Human fear of death arises because we often view it from an individual perspective.
The nature of life is finite, and the pursuit of immortality somewhat underestimates the complexity of the biological system. The human biological system is extremely intricate, involving genetics, cells, organs, and various biological processes. While advances in science and medicine allow us to extend lifespans and improve health, achieving true immortality requires addressing even more intricate challenges.
In the digital realm, the quest for digital immortality encounters similar dilemmas: a digital entity differs from real existence, relying heavily on the foundation of technology for its durability and continuity. While technologies like blockchain can ensure tamper-proof and persistent data storage, achieving digital immortality relies on continuous data storage and maintenance. This involves support for storage space, data transfer, encryption algorithms, and other aspects. Long-term data storage and maintenance might face technological and cost-related challenges.
Likewise, when discussing digital immortality, the issue of data security is inevitable. Amid this vast digital forest, long-term storage and management of personal data and privacy take precedence. Certainly, no one would want their digital identity to be sold to a gaming company for use as an NPC within a game.
As technology advances and the risks of data breaches increase, ensuring privacy and security during the process of achieving digital immortality remains a complex and critical concern. Even though we can currently achieve a certain level of on-chain storage and retrieval, with technological development, the current level of data encryption is bound to be challenged. If digital personas are stolen, abused, and the original human bodies have already perished or lie dormant in some nutrient chamber, how do we navigate such risks?
The Pursuit of Immortality is Essentially an Avoidance of Death
In a person's lifetime, if there's one thing that's 100% certain to happen, it's that death will absolutely be one of those things. The underlying basis for the creation and development of many things in the existing world is actually founded on the premise that people will eventually die. This could be seen as a meta-rule of humanity. If humans were to become immortal, the meta-rule of the world would change, leading to a massive upheaval in how we contemplate survival and structure society.
Humans possess a strong sense of self-awareness and a desire for individual existence. This desire for life leads to our fear and rejection of death. We fear losing our own existence and dread the unknown realm of death. Thus, when we discuss eternal youth, we are, in fact, attempting to free ourselves from the constraints of death's objective reality. We are rejecting the fact that humans will eventually die and striving to pursue the possibility of immortality.
Therefore, before discussing the issue of eternal youth and even how to achieve it, it's better to face the inevitable reality of human mortality—death.
From the perspectives of societal culture and religion, there are differences in the recognition and understanding of death.
In Chinese culture, death is often regarded as a sensitive and taboo topic. Traditional beliefs hold that discussing death could invite misfortune or bad luck. As a result, many people avoid talking about death in their daily lives, especially in public settings. This deepens people's fear of death.
In contrast, in other cultures, people have a closer relationship with death. Take Mexico, for instance; it's known for its colorful Day of the Dead celebrations. During this festival, elaborate ceremonies are held to commemorate and remember deceased loved ones. Mexicans have a unique attitude toward death, considering it an essential part of life.
In the realm of religion, discussing death is a common and important topic. Different religions have their own concepts, beliefs, and rituals surrounding death, providing distinct ways of understanding and dealing with it.
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Christianity: Christianity believes in an afterlife, where the soul goes to heaven or hell after death. Followers typically face death through prayer, worship, and teachings from the Bible, seeking comfort and guidance from God.
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Islam: Islam views death as a transition in human life, with the soul entering the grave and facing judgment. Muslims believe that Allah (God) has a plan for everything, and they prepare for death by following Islamic teachings and prayers.
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Buddhism: Buddhism has a significant perspective on life and death. It considers death as an inevitable process, with the soul reincarnating after death. Buddhists face death by practicing meditation and understanding concepts like impermanence and non-self.
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Hinduism: Hinduism believes the soul is immortal, and death merely involves a change of the body, not its end. They believe in reincarnation, where the soul cycles through different life forms until it ultimately merges with the supreme deity. Followers prepare for death through rituals, prayers, and fulfilling social responsibilities.
Adherents of these religions confront death through prayer, rituals, and the practice of their faith, seeking comfort, guidance, and spiritual strength.
For individuals, discussing death is, in fact, a reflection on human life. As finite beings, we contemplate how to spend our lives. Our attitude toward death also determines our values in life. Looking at our society, especially in China, death education is scarce. Abroad, philosopher and sociologist Bernard Crettaz initiated an experiment in 2004—the Death Café. This unique social gathering aims to provide an open and safe environment for discussing topics related to death, end-of-life care, and the meaning of life. We can learn from this approach, using discussions of death to help us understand our feelings and experiences with death, how to face the end, and how to respect and remember the departed, thereby reducing fear and anxiety about death.
Stepping away from the individual and adopting a broader perspective on death, from the lens of human civilization, throughout millennia of history, the rise and fall of civilizations have repeated themselves. With each civilization's birth, another new civilization emerges, propelling human society forward.
From the viewpoint of Earth, the meaning of life lies in the rebirth that follows death. Without death, new things wouldn't emerge. Humans have existed on Earth for so long, creating countless innovations. However, certain weaknesses inherent to humans, whether in terms of physical capabilities, human nature, or societal structures, have remained stagnant. In this current age, the development of the crypto industry is possibly poised to overturn existing world rules; the AI sector and the prospect of embodiment offer the potential to change human vulnerabilities. Perhaps someday in the future, humans may no longer need physical bodies. When that day truly arrives, the 'humans' of that time might not even resemble the primordial humans of today. This is, in essence, another form of rebirth, the birth of a different civilization.
After the sun sets, a new sunrise emerges; after leaves fall, new leaves grow. Why must humans die? Because Earth needs new civilizations. Looking at the reality we humans will inevitably face from this perspective might bring some solace. As we move towards that point, all we can do is fully enjoy the present, savor the process of life.
I'd Rather Be a Cyborg Than Digital Immortality
In 1927, Julian Huxley mentioned transhumanism in his work Religion without Revelation.
In 1989, futurist FM-2030 coined the term "transhumanism" and became a leading advocate of this idea.
In the 1960s, Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline introduced the concept of "cyborgs," humans whose physiological functions are enhanced and modified through artificial means.
The 1985 Cyborg Manifesto discourse about cyborgs became a crucial dimension of posthumanism. It offers a perspective that advances gender understanding within feminism by challenging essentialist views.
In the 1990s, with the development of the internet and advancements in artificial intelligence, posthumanist ideas gained momentum and began to influence the public.
Michel Foucault's philosophical posthumanism attempts to deconstruct the discourse about "humans" based on a critical reflection of humanism in the Renaissance.
From 1946 to 1953, the cybernetic "action-network theory" proposed by Gregory Bateson and others represented by Norbert Wiener laid the groundwork for social theorist Bruno Latour's Actor-Network Theory.
These posthumanist theories explore the potential futures brought about by artificial intelligence and mind uploading. The rapid development of biotechnologies such as gene editing and neural technology in the early 21st century further expanded the influence of these two ideologies.
Elon Musk's Neuralink, with its brain-machine interface design, envisions a future he calls the "cyborg future." Neuralink aims to protect and enhance human brains, creating a "well-aligned future." Musk believes that with high-bandwidth brain-machine interfaces, humans can merge with artificial intelligence and stride towards a harmonious coexistence with it.
The distinction between transhumanism and posthumanism lies in:
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Different Views on the Human Concept: Transhumanism seeks to enhance human abilities through technology, creating "superhumans" or "human 2.0."
Posthumanism questions the traditional concept of "humans," envisioning an evolutionary transition to "posthumans."
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Different Views on Artificial Intelligence: Transhumanism advocates for AI to assist humans, while humans retain autonomous control and dominance.
Posthumanism leans towards the eventual fusion of artificial intelligence and human consciousness.
Why do we say we shouldn't seek eternal life? Because we can see throughout the history of technology and thought that old generations pass away, giving birth to new ones. We are constantly passing the baton of human civilization. Kuhn's concept of "paradigm shift" defines the essence of scientific revolution as follows: "Initially, it consists of a paradigm and an attempt to puzzle out the normal science; later, it turns into a serious anomaly that triggers a crisis; finally, a new paradigm emerges, resolving the crisis and leading science back into a period of normalcy." Science's progression isn't a linear accumulation of knowledge but a succession of old and new paradigms. Revolution is the prelude to the birth of a new paradigm. This is also what the blockchain revolution seeks to achieve—changing the lives of one generation while preventing others from changing ours using digital immortality.
Why do we say we should embrace posthumanism? Because purity has never been attainable; we are complex entities. There is no single purity. Our understanding of identity will become clearer: as mixed-race nations, our genes are amalgamations of various ancestries. We don't represent any single culture; we inherit world cultures. In the age of the internet, we're a blend of Eastern and Western complexities.
We don't want to pit humans against artificial intelligence. Can't we merge with each other? Because we know that opposition between identities leads to conflicts. Returning to the Taoist concept of chaos, we've always sought unity between man and nature. In the same way, we will become one with AI, one with machines. We're already in a state of unity with machines, from smartphones and the internet to the future fusion with mixed reality. We're accustomed to this unity. In Chinese mythology, chaos isn't an evil image but a potent, benevolent force—the ultimate source of creation. Born from chaos, we return to chaos, constantly circulating, passing on the flame, perpetuating life until it ends.
DeSci, the Myth of Immortality, and the History of Cryptographic Thought
Blockchain originated from the cryptopunk movement of the 1990s, a technological and political counterculture movement. In the context of intellectual history, it inherited the utopian visions of the technologically enhanced superhumans for societal order. To understand this, we must go back to the Enlightenment movement of the 18th century, which centered around values of reason, science, and liberalism. With the Scientific Revolution overturning religious dominance, one crucial outcome was the prevalence of the notion that 'God is dead'. This upheaval led to the worship of science. Society entered a phase of heightened pursuit of rationality, with unprecedented optimism about technological enhancement, giving rise to a desire for control over human destiny and the concept of 'directed evolution', leading to the emergence of Transhumanism.
Bostrom, in his article Transhumanist Values, points out that transhumanists seek to reshape humanity through means like science and technology, elevating humans into posthuman entities with greater capabilities. They believe that through methods such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and powerful computing, humans can accelerate and guide the process of evolution. These posthuman beings would possess extraordinary abilities like telepathy and precognition, and even have the ability to colonize other planets. This pursuit of science and technology as a new kind of religion, coupled with the vision of controlling human evolution, gradually formed a quasi-religious belief.
The ideas of the Russian cosmism movement have contributed much to transhumanist thought: Fedorov viewed the technological revival of humanity as a collective task for enlightened humans, echoing elements of Christian theology's messianic aspects. They envisioned a perfected universe where humanity achieves cosmic improvement and redemption through rationalizing the material world and conquering space. Vernadsky introduced the concept of the Noosphere, connecting human thought on Earth to create an evolving global intelligence, which required good social systems to harmonize human society."
Thus, transhumanists yearned for a new political order to replace the old model of nation-state competition. They predicted that exponential advancements in science and technology would lead to a globalized internet, media, education system, language, and culture, establishing a new order referred to as 'Globa' by De Garis. This new order would bring harmony and prosperity, eliminating war, arms trade, ignorance, and poverty, achieving a perfect human harmony. The imaginations of transhumanism had profound effects on societal order, influencing many cryptography enthusiasts at the time, inspiring them to open their knowledge, previously confined to intelligence agencies, to the public, giving birth to the influential 'cypherpunk' movement. This movement, focused on opposing authoritarianism, advocating individual freedom and privacy, aimed to facilitate human wisdom through cryptographic development.
Cypherpunk ideology gave birth to blockchain and extended to applications in specific fields. Among these, the DeSci (Decentralized Science) movement emerged as a prominent force. As a flagship project in this field, VitaDAO takes on the banner of 'narratives of immortality,' embracing the ultimate enhancement narrative of transhumanism. Since its inception, VitaDAO captured the attention of industry leaders in the crypto space, with Vitalik investing in and actively promoting it, and Balaji expressing his agreement with transhumanist thought. VitaDAO's emergence not only carried on the torch but also integrated the thoughts of numerous modern transhumanists. One of the movement's proponents, Aubrey de Grey, is among VitaDAO's most notable supporters.
This well-known longevity scientist battles aging through biotechnology, reshaping the narrative around death and immortality. He views death as disorder and advocates replacing traditional aging concepts with orderly methods. His approach involves techniques like genetic engineering, enhancing telomerase enzymes, and genetic manipulation. De Grey sees death as an enemy which attacks both body and mind, one that can be combated with biotechnology. According to him, aging is caused by chromosomal mutations, harmful aggregates inside and outside cells, cellular senescence, and depletion of stem cells. He contends that cultural and psychological inertia towards death impedes longevity research.
Aubrey de Grey has openly supported VitaDAO on multiple occasions: he not only, along with Vitalik, promoted the significance of 'crypto x longevity' on the Bankless channel during VitaDAO's launch but also actively participated in various DeSci events. VitaDAO follows Aubrey de Grey's 'narratives of immortality,' suggesting that the fear of death is a cultural legacy to be overcome. In the mountains of Montenegro, Vitalik established VitaDAO as a major co-organizer, integrating DeSci as one of the three central themes. During VitaDAO's theme week, abundant content from psychology and philosophy was used to educate non-biological science individuals on viewing death as an adversary that can be defeated, bolstered by faith in technology, resisting humanity's ultimate fate.
The deity transhumanist philosophers seek is one that grants existence to posthumans, an attempt to embody the idea of the Ăśbermensch (Superman of Nietzsche) through control, rather than aiding humanity. This pursuit reflects a transhumanist belief that transcends traditional religious notions. Through this pursuit of science as a new form of religion, control over human evolution, and imagination about societal order, we can see how the Enlightenment movement has significantly influenced the emergence of transhumanism and even the cypherpunk movement. These ideas reflect humanity's desire for transcendence and immortality, and the pursuit of technological progress and societal change.
Postmodern theorist Byung-Chul Han once noted that religious faith, as a form of 'Thanatotechnik' (a kind of technology which can calm the fear of death and bring about a feeling of permanence), once allowed humans to evade the fear of death. However, after the 'death of God' Enlightenment, people were left without escape as the world entered a process of 'Entnarrativisierung' (de-narrativization), revealing life in its 'nackt' (raw state). In this scientific driven postmodernity, health has become the new deity. Life transforms into survival, and the frenzied pursuit of health gives rise to contradictions, resulting in illness and existential paralysis.
During VitaDAO's theme week at Zuzalu, a pop-up city, the creators asked the audience whether they would choose 'longevity without death,' and many enthusiastically raised their hands. Vitalik added the premise a little bit by questioning whether quality of life should be placed at the center, then asking whether people would choose to embrace limited life with vitality or pursue boundless immortality in decay. The answers from the audience began to diverge. If we pursue ultimate health, extreme longevity, and infinite possibilities, we end up mechanizing our essential life. The absolutization of health loses its aesthetic appeal, and life becomes a frantic form of survival.
What, then, is death? What is life? Heidegger believed that death arouses a desire for authentic self-existence. Its meaning goes beyond the termination of life; it represents the negation of the abyss and mystery. Death operates within the realm of existence, provoking an understanding and grasp of the vast abyss. From birth to death, humans plunge into the subconscious and then rise to the superconscious, a cycle between 'I am' and 'God'. Modern fixation on life and evasion of death vividly exhibit an era of boundless expansion of individualism, a strong sense of 'I am'. Mythologist Campbell once said, “Human history, rolling on for thousands of years, has shown an unceasing form of the eternal cycle, yet humanity only sees change and death, while deities witness enduring forms and an unending universe.” Life and death are intertwined, and they are components of the cycle of all things. The cycles of personal life and death are the metabolism of the grander self. The unprecedented inflation of self-awareness is like a tightly clasped hand. But could letting go of ego be the start of entering the vastness?
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