Re: Extropic Priorities

From: Alex Ramonsky (alex@ramonsky.com)
Date: Wed Mar 05 2003 - 07:07:09 MST

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    ...If Lee is correct, we would be a lot more concerned about obesity in
    children than in adults. Would you say that is true? Is the US putting
    any cash into working on this?
    AR

    Lee Corbin wrote:

    >Robert writes
    >
    >
    >
    >>So, *why* the blazes is the ExI list debating IRAQ when
    >>it should be debating caloric intake?
    >>
    >>
    >
    >Well, perhaps there's nothing wrong with debating both!? ;-)
    >
    >
    >
    >>Just what part of the principle of "rational thinking"
    >>is not being understood (e.g. saving more people is
    >>perhaps better than saving fewer people)?
    >>
    >>
    >
    >This resumes a discussion about whether it's people's
    >"lives" or people-years we wish to save. Consider deathoids
    >A and B, who are not signed up for cryonics, and (for the
    >sake of argument) have probability 1 of not remaining
    >alive until anti-aging drugs are available. But one
    >person is dying at age 70 as a result of obesity and
    >this individual---were his obesity related disorders
    >correctable---would be dead at age 74 from a heart
    >attack. Person B is an 18-year-old who will die from
    >an automobile accident or from a war-related injury.
    >
    >I say that if the effort to save each life is comparable
    >(when averaged over millions of people) then the investment
    >in deathoid B is preferable. This is because person B has
    >a much greater life expectancy.
    >
    >Moreover, I claim that people intuitively appreciate this
    >difference, and that's why there is less excitement about
    >obesity that one would think.
    >
    >Unfortunately, deaths attributable to one age-related
    >disease (e.g. heart disease or cancer), change dramatically
    >for the worse when some *other* disease is successfully
    >combated. This phenomenon is strictly due to "deaths"
    >not being calibrated in person-years.
    >
    >Lee
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >



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