Description of The Abolition of Aging
This book provides a bird’s eye report from the frontiers of the accelerating field of rejuvenation biology:
- The goals and motivations of key players in this field
- The rapid progress that has been achieved in the last few years
- The challenges that threaten to thwart further development
- The critical questions that need to be faced.
For more details, see the Foreword of the book, and this Opening Discussion.
Availability
Kindle version (ebook) available (from 25th May 2016):
Paperback version (pbook) now available too (from 6th June 2016):
Spanish language version (from 26th May 2017):
- “La Abolición del Envejecimiento. La radical extensión de la longevidad saludable humana que está por venir”
- Amazon.es
- Direct from the publisher, Lola Books
Portuguese language version (from 13th March 2020):
- “A abolição do envelhecimento: A chegada do radical prolongamento da longevidade humana saudável”
- Amazon.br
Praise for The Abolition of Aging
“A real tour de force”
– Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer of SENS Research Foundation
“An epic read with stunning references and observations”
– David Doherty, CoFounder & Director at 3G Doctor
“David Wood has provided the ultimate handbook of arguments on behalf of the arresting, reversal and even termination of aging. Wood fights ‘mortalists’ as Aquinas fought infidels. Although the book is science-led, its most striking feature is Wood’s faith in the capacity of liberal democracies to rise to the challenge of conquering mortality. A must-read for believers and sceptics alike.”
– Prof Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology, University of Warwick
“The Abolition of Aging is a truly revolutionary book, which considers the radical extension of human longevity and sheds light on the possibility of indefinite lifespans. This modern masterpiece will help us all to rethink what it means to live and die.”
– José Cordeiro, Founding Faculty at Singularity University
“David Wood has written a very important book. The idea that people in their fifties and sixties today might live to see a time when science enables them to stop aging – and indeed reverse the aging process – is astounding. Wood is a serious-minded person with solid scientific and organisational credentials, and he has studied this subject for many years. This book deserves to reach a wide audience, and we should heed his call for more research into this fascinating area.”
– Calum Chace, Author of Pandora’s Brain and Surviving AI
“Science and technology have made remarkable strides against infectious diseases in the last few decades. The next 2-3 decades could see similar progress against the diseases of aging: heart disease, cancer, dementia, and so on. Aging itself can be slowed, reversed, and even abolished. That’s the claim made by former smartphone industry executive David Wood in his impressive new book The Abolition of Aging. Wood’s message is clear: whether or not these outcomes happen depends on positive action from large number of people around the world. His book serves as a clarion call for concerted involvement by everyone concerned about a better future for humanity.”
– Zoltan Istvan, US Presidential candidate
“With his new book, David Wood shows once again his knack for clear-headed, pragmatic, open but rigorous ‘classical’ thinking (he is a Brit, after all), applied to visionary speculations on the near- and long-term future of humanity.”
– Giulio Prisco, Board Member, IEET
“This book is a thorough analysis of the background and context of probably the two of the most important questions of our time: When will we be able to control the aging process? And what would be the implications of such a development? In essence, the answer is highly likely to be sometime this century, and the implications would be far reaching. If we are to avoid highly damaging and chaotic outcomes, it is important that we all become much better informed about the issues. And, if we want to see how this development can lead to a better future for us all, there is probably no better place to start than by reading the insights of David Wood’s detailed study of the subject.”
– Dr Bruce Lloyd, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management, London South Bank University
“A perfectly-timed, well written book – could be a best seller.”
– Peter Morgan, Technical Director, Data Science Partnership
“The Abolition of Aging presents interesting new views on the topic of the prevention of aging, summarizing the entire field in a fascinating read. I hope that the book will encourage readers to participate in collective efforts, such as scientific studies, in support of life extension – something that’s very important to do at a time when fighting aging can become mainstream.”
– Alexey Turchin, Co-founder, Longevity Party (Russia)
“Written in an elegant, clear style, The Abolition of Aging brilliantly accomplishes the difficult task of guiding the reader through all the turns and twists of the topic, explaining in detail the benefits that would derive from a successful implementation of the ‘rejuveneering project’.”
– Nicola Bagalà, Life Extension Advocacy Foundation
Book dedication
In times past, visionaries marvelled at birds soaring high above them into the sky, and wondered how humans might, one day, escape gravity in the same way. Other visionaries pondered tales of creatures that never grew old, and wondered how, one day, these tales could become a reality. This book sets out the framework for how humanity might, at last, within a few short decades, become enabled to escape the vicious downward pull of aging.
Accordingly, this book is dedicated:
To the researchers, engineers, entrepreneuers, and humanitarians
who are wrestling with humanity’s oldest challenge
– may they receive ample support and inspiration,
to speed them, wisely and sure-footedly, on their audacious quest.
Angles
The author brings five important angles to this book:
- His background in history and philosophy of science, wrestling with the question of how to distinguish science from pseudoscience, and with the more general dilemma of how to decide whether lines of research are likely to turn out to be misguided dead-ends
- His professional career within the smartphone industry, where he saw a lot of similar aspirations (though on a much smaller scale) regarding the breakthroughs that fast-moving technology could enable
- His experience as a writer, in which he seeks to explain complicated subjects in a relatively straightforward but engaging manner
- The eight years in which he has had the privilege to organise meetups in London dedicated to futurist, singularitarian, and technoprogressive topics – meetings which have featured a wide variety of different attitudes and outlooks
- His aspiration as a humanitarian to probe for both the human upsides and the human downsides of changing technology – in order to set possible engineering breakthroughs (such as rejuvenation biotech) in a broader societal context.
Book cover
The Abolition of Aging 