Elon Musk has warned against the dangers posed by technology that could prolong the lives of powerful people indefinitely.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit on Monday, the billionaire and entrepreneur said that allowing people to live too long, and potentially forever, could endanger the progress of future generations.
Musk argued:
"It is important for us to die because most of the time people don't change their mind, they just die. If you live forever, we might become a very ossified society where new ideas cannot succeed."
Adding that he isn't "aware of any secret technology to combat aging".
The discussion was prompted following the release of recent studies that highlight the possibility of maintaining a youthful state through the transfusion of blood from younger bodies to older ones.
There have also been rumours that Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, whom Musk has characterised as a 'sociopath', has a long interest in the above practice, also known as parabiosis.
The practice has gained popularity in Silicon Valley where technology elites have been reportedly been lining up to to receive the transfusion.
Jeff Bezos is one who has invested heavily in anti-aging technology and formed the start-up Altos Labs, hoping to reverse human mortality.
In response to Bezos' initiative, Musk said:
"And if it doesn't work, he's gonna sue death!"
Musk has further argued that age limits should be set for leaders in the US government. He noted:
"I am not poking fun at aging. I am saying we've got people in very important positions that have to make decisions that are critical to the security of the country, then they need to have sufficient presence of mind and cognitive ability to make those decisions well. Because the whole country is depending on them."
[Based on reporting by: The Mind Unleashed]
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