Life Extension and Civic Virtue

This article argues that inequitable access to interventions capable of dramatically extending human lifespans would undermine individual and collective upkeep of civic virtue. Specifically, intervention maldistribution that normalizes the expectation of differential lifespans based on socioeconomic status undermines the moral agency of persons living with poverty and the commonality of lifespan experiences, such as milestones and events. As a result of their greater access to interventions that significantly increase lifespan, those with wealth might be tempted to regard persons living with poverty as biologically distinct, physiologically inferior, and less deserving of moral consideration than themselves.