[extropy-chat] Article: Who would not seize the chance to live to be 150?

[Robin Hanson]

At 12:25 PM 2/9/2006, Keith M. Elis wrote:
>What evidence is there that the average human lifespan in the 
>developed world is about to suddenly increase at a rate faster than 
>we are experiencing currently?
>I ask because if I really believed this were true, I would form a 
>company to offer permanent cash value life insurance to healthy 
>applicants at steep discounts to the prevailing market premiums 
>which are based on soon-to-be-proved-incorrect actuarial tables. ...

The fact that no life insurance companies or speculators seem to be 
taking this strategy, even though there are many who could, strongly 
suggests that none of them think this scenario very likely.  Which to 
me suggests that it is in fact not very likely.


Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323