#33 “Can death be the answer?" A conversation with philosopher Nicholas Agar

#33 “Can death be the answer?" A conversation with philosopher Nicholas Agar

From LEVITY by Peter Ottsjö

October 7, 2025 · 1h 45m · Episode 33

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of radical life extension with philosopher Nicholas Agar, who expresses skepticism about its feasibility and ethical considerations.

We are always excited about the next technological solution. But what if it does not come? Or what if it comes only for the few, or with terrible side-effects? And while we are waiting for the easy tech fix, are we neglecting what we can do now to better our lives? Many of our previous guests have been excited about the prospect of radically extending our lives, and some have been optimistic about the prospect of achieving this in our life time, perhaps even within a few decades. We are Levity, the real longevity podcast after all. Todays guest thinks that we should be less excited about radical longevity, and radical enhancements in general. And he does not think radical life extension is on the horizon. Nicholas Agar is a New Zealand philosopher specializing in ethics. He holds a BA from the University of Auckland, an MA from Victoria University of Wellington, and a PhD from the Australian National University. As of 2022, he is a Professor of Ethics at the University of Waikato. He is a prolific writer and the author of How to think about Progress, and Truly Human Progress, to mention two recent books. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 03:38 The hype and the reality 06:02 Too much…

People in this episode

Host: Peter Ottsjö

Guest: Nicholas Agar

Topics covered

  • radical longevity
  • ethics
  • technology
  • life extension
  • health
  • philosophy

Keywords

  • longevity
  • technology
  • ethics
  • life extension
  • Nicholas Agar
  • health
  • philosophy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Waikato, University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Australian National University

Books & works: How to think about Progress, Truly Human Progress

More episodes of LEVITY

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the LEVITY podcast page.