Don't Be the Last Person to Die
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN longevity fans point to it as a concise, fun statement of the case for fighting aging, and some say it changed their minds.
What it is
CGP Grey argues that aging and death are a problem worth defeating, using a short animated essay. It is part of a pair with a follow-up from Kurzgesagt.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 4 different months, 2017 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec seer · 2020-01 · on “Scientists identify pathways that extend nematode worm lifespan fivefold”
CGP gray's videos on YouTube are maybe the most concise and fun to watch materials I've seen on the subject. [this video] [LINK] And you'll be surprised how many people _are_ indeed thinking about all of the outcomes. Have in mind though that as with any technology it is not good or bad, and if it is possible someone will do it sooner or later. It makes no sense to not do it as your adversaries will, and then they'll dictate how it is used, probably not to your liking. If you develop it first you can talk and deliberate at your leisure and find solutions that look much better to you and yours.
Strong rec wilg · 2023-01 · on “$6.96B was raised by private longevity companies in 2022”
My opinion on the topic changed significantly after watching these great videos: - Why Age? Should We End Aging Forever? - Kurzgesagt - [LINK] - How to Cure Aging – Kurzgesagt - [LINK] - Why Die? - CGP Grey - [this video]
Recommends chr1 · 2018-09 · on “Startups Flock to Turn Young Blood into an Elixir of Youth”
> It tries to address something that was always considered a hard limit and the perfectly natural thing Death being "perfectly natural" is not a good argument, having slaves, eating people, not allowing women to vote, all have been considered perfectly natural at various points in time, and some time soon accepting aging will be considered equally backwards, as these other things. > There are plenty of movies on this topic so no need to go into details I am asking because i have not seen a single pro-aging argument that had made any sense to me, in the best case they are about some people killing other people to get their stuff, which is not directly related to aging, in the worst they are "
Recommends willis936 · 2025-10 · on “How ancient people saw themselves”
I don't think that death is a certainty. It is today, but we are working on it. We are not supernatural. CGPGrey's thoughts on this mirror a lot of my own. I grant that not all care given to aged is a kindness, but not fighting aging is not virtuous. [this video] [LINK]
Cites yoz-y · 2017-10 · on “Anti-aging stem cell treatment proves successful in early human trials”
Well, on the anti-death side: [this video] On the pro death side I think the book Risen Empire has quite interesting take on that as well. Edit: Put in the wrong link to a 24hour long video, fixed now