Why death is bad for you: A philosopher's defense

✅ Introduction to episode 25 with Prof. Travis Timmerman. ✅ Detailed show notes. ✅ Why philosophy of death matters for the longevity movement. ✅ The Deprivation account. ✅ The Epicurean challenge. ✅ The Mirror argument.

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Why philosophy of death matters for the longevity movement

When we talk about solving aging and extending healthy human lifespan, we often focus on the science - the latest breakthroughs in cellular reprogramming, AI drug discovery, or biomarkers of aging. But there's a deeper question that underlies all this work: Is death actually bad for us? And if so, why?

This might seem obvious to those of us in the longevity field, but it's certainly not universally accepted. In fact, for over two millennia, philosophers have argued that death cannot harm us. The ancient Epicureans claimed that “where death is, we are not; where we are, death is not” - so how can something that we never experience be bad for us? This view persists today, offering comfort to many who see death as natural and inevitable.

But if we accept these arguments, we undermine the very foundation of longevity science. Why invest billions in aging research if death isn't actually bad? Why should society prioritize lifespan extension if our current lifespans are “good enough”? These philosophical questions have real-world implications for funding, policy, and public support for longevity research.

That's why we periodically step back from the science to examine these fundamental questions.

This episode of LEVITY is part of what has turned out to be an ongoing series examining the philosophical foundations of longevity science. Previous episodes in this series have featured my-cost Patrick Linden and his book The Case Against Death, and philosophers John Martin Fischer and John K. Davis.

Here, Travis Timmerman, Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Seton Hall University, provides a rigorous philosophical defense of what many of us intuitively believe: that death is bad because it deprives us of future good experiences. His work helps establish the ethical foundation for why solving aging matters.

Key themes in this episode:

The Deprivation account: Why death is bad not in itself, but because of what it takes away from us.
The Epicurean challenge: Ancient arguments that death cannot harm us - and why they fail.
Self-regarding reasons: How our reasons to avoid death connect to well-being and rational choice.
The Mirror argument: Whether pre-birth non-existence is symmetrical to post-death non-existence.
Overdetermination problems: When multiple causes of death complicate our moral intuitions.
Immortality and well-being: Whether an infinitely long life could be good for us.
Population ethics: The moral complexities of bringing new lives into existence.

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