Transhumanists are control freaks. They believe religiously that they can achieve indefinite life through anti-aging research, biotech, cybertech, uploading minds into computers, etc.
But life has a way of showing us that there are limits to human manipulation. Many cancers, it seems, aren’t caused by lifestyle choices as once thought, but chance. From the Reuters story:
Plain old bad luck plays a major role in determining who gets cancer and who does not, according to researchers who found that two-thirds of cancer incidence of various types can be blamed on random mutations and not heredity or risky habits like smoking.
The researchers said on Thursday random DNA mutations accumulating in various parts of the body during ordinary cell division are the prime culprits behind many cancer types. They looked at 31 cancer types and found that 22 of them, including leukemia and pancreatic, bone, testicular, ovarian and brain cancer, could be explained largely by these random mutations – essentially biological bad luck.
The best answer–as we have known for years:
Tomasetti said the study indicates that changing one’s lifestyle and habits like smoking to avoid cancer risks may help prevent certain cancers, but may not be as effective for others. ”Thus, we should focus more research and resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages,” Tomasetti added.
I’m all for that. Indeed, that is one reason I have been skeptical of plans to reduce some cancer screenings as standards of preventive care.
So, transhumanists, put your energy, creativity, and focus into living–which the world’s great religions hold is greatly aided by remembering our pending deaths–as opposed to thinking one can prevent dying. For as Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”