It's a brutal reality.

Technology that can dramatically prolong lives is unlikely to benefit everyone. The "old man" will not survive the process of "species renewal".

In order to ensure that the application and promotion of the technology can be carried out smoothly, the first batch of beneficiaries of benchmark human genetic modification surgery will only be young people in the prime of life. And the old people who are not veterans who are very close to the age of "can't do surgery" are also equivalent to being abandoned.

For a middle-aged person on a certain critical line, the time of "a few years" is too scary. Maybe one illness, maybe something else, he will become an "old man".

Superman has developed genetic medicine technology that can eradicate diseases and combat aging.

But it doesn't work for everyone.

There will always be some people who will be left out of this history.

And these people may be old people who have dedicated their lives to the functioning of human society.

Baseline human genetic modification surgery is conservatively estimated to raise the upper life limit of a natural person to 400 years old. In the past 400 years, it is possible that the mechanism of "aging" will be explained at the genetic level. Perhaps humanity will be able to master gene therapy that completely reverses aging.

The results of Yagmov's "solution enzyme system" have such potential.

In other words, there is a group of people who may miss out on "eternal life" because they were born two or three years early.

Xiang Shan felt that this was too cruel.

Jing Hongtu put his cane aside, sat beside Xiang Shan, and watched him wipe his tears. The old man shook his head: "You are not normal. ”

I don't know why.

"It's because of your weakness and entanglement that the intellectuals of the entire company fall into a senseless sense of guilt with you, right? I also volunteered in a nursing home...... Expiation? This kind of morality is a bit too Christian. Jing Hongtu looked at Xiang Shan: "You are not normal." ”

Bow your head to the mountain.

"I'll ask you one more question." Jing Hongtu changed his approach: "Are you the son of today?" ”

I don't know why.

"Do you want to be the president of the earth? Or the UN Secretary-General? It's still the kind with a high concentration of power. ”

Xiang Shan shook his head: "What are you kidding......"

"You don't want this power, why should you take on this responsibility that doesn't belong to you? Or is it a deliberate restriction that you are making that 'the elderly cannot undergo surgery'? That's a bit more vicious. ”

Xiang Shan smiled: "This ...... Just kidding. ”

"You are the one who moves the world forward, the one who blazes the trail. You are not a savior, not an emperor, not an immortal. It is the responsibility of the family, the community, and the society to soothe the emotions of the elderly and let them go through the last part of their lives happily, but it cannot be your responsibility alone - unless you want to be a savior, emperor or god. Neither are humans your people. ”

Jing Hongtu took a deep breath, and then sighed in abandonment: "Although I don't want to die either." But the laws and technical conditions of biology are too objective, and I can't help it, right? ”

Xiang Shan also sat on the floor and looked up at the ceiling: "But, will our company make those old people uneasy in the last section?" 'I am the last human to die of aging'......"

"Have you investigated?" Jing Hongtu asked.

Xiang Shan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "There are old people who come to kowtow at the door of the company every day. Some of them came with their whole families. There are also scolding ...... on the Internet"

"It's not an investigation, it's an observation. If you've been observing society in a hospital, you're not going to come to the conclusion that a huge percentage of people in this society have diseases. If you only take 'the crowd of people in a certain temple on the first day of the Lunar New Year' as a sample, you can come to the conclusion that 'everyone in society is a Buddhist'. Jing Hongtu spread his hands, "It's impossible for you not to understand this statistical truth, right?" ”

Xiang Shan sighed and did not speak.

Jing Hongtu also followed his example and looked at the ceiling: "Actually, your mentality of 'I'm not my ideal saint, so I'm ashamed' is not too bad." In every wave of technology, there are old people who have been left behind. A few years later? I was one of the first smartphone users in the Republic. I'm glad I've caught the wave. Then in the next two years, I was at the family reunion dinner and saw one of my high-ranking uncles being instructed by his granddaughter to use a smartphone? As a result, my hands trembled and I couldn't even unlock it. I've always disliked my relatives over there? So I was thinking — huh? He also has today. ”

However, Jing Hongtu did not laugh either.

"And then, my uncle was very angry and said? This thing doesn't work at all? How to take the bus for the old man - he has never taken public transportation, and there are secretaries and assistants to help him take care of everything. He'd heard of people using their mobile phones to catch the bus. If no one reminds him, he can't remember that 'the old man will have a special travel card'. He definitely doesn't feel inconvenient because he doesn't know how to use a smartphone. ”

"But what about other old people who can't learn? The whole society is moving towards the 'intelligent era'. But there are always people who are left behind. ”

"When I was younger? There's also a joke. 'Who's great?' I just haven't played Big Brother'...... You probably don't even know what 'Big Brother' is. A kind of technology product of the past. This has become common in the last hundred years. The cycle of technological development? It's already smaller than the human life cycle. Over the last few thousand years? Humans don't have to be unable to adapt to technology. This phenomenon has only occurred in recent decades. Traditional morality is not suitable for this kind of thing. ”

The old man patted Xiang Shan on the shoulder again: "But you are kinder than most people in tech companies. That's not bad either. It's true. It's just that? Normal people should see that you have provided a long life, a healthy body, and a bright future for the other seventy percent of humanity. This merit is immeasurable. ”

Xiang Shan did not speak.

"I still remember when I was in the second and second years...... Yes? Is that what I said to you before you took over as head of Rama's R&D department? Jing Hongtu said suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, remember. ”

"I don't remember it. I said at the time, 'How can there be anything that is completely white and pure and does not touch a single ink spot?' 'If you really want to be critical of yourself?' Just think about it. And you shouldn't be trapped on that either—morality has domesticated you into a docile domestic animal? How do you get rid of the old? ”

Xiang Shan's glasses gave a quick hint: "Huh? Nietzsche......"

"Right? He said something similar. What's wrong? Don't like it? Your company's name is still a little bit related to him. ”

"Ah, this one. I'm a purely technical transhumanist...... After all, it's someone who has a connection to the Nazi ideology. Xiang Shan shook his head, "I don't have a good feeling." ”

"Right? You're a technocracy, a rationalist. I also watched your public lectures at the university. You are a big believer in reason. Jing Hongtu nodded: "But this is a spiritual medicine for you." Some of Nietzsche's views are wrong, and his philosophy is indeed the most misused. But vaccines are also harmful antigens, right? Yes and no? ”

Jing Hongtu wanted to get up from the ground, but it was a little difficult. Xiang Shan hurriedly picked up the old man.

"Alright, you can come with me. I want to send you something. Jing Hongtu walked towards the study, chattering: "Nietzsche is the most misused thing." He is a strong advocate of positive self-reinvention and 're-valuing everything'. He's actually exploring the path of 'living happily ever after' – in science, a false quest is valuable, isn't it? Our ultimate ideal is 'the free association of man,' and that 'the freedom of each and the freedom of all' is different from his. But it can be used as a kind of stone for other mountains, a kind of supplement. If you are addicted to ancient morality and want to be a perfect person, you should take a little bit of this medicine. ”

"You are already at the forefront of history, and you will face many questions that history will not be able to give you 'known answers' in the future. You should not be crushed by your own weakness. ”

Jing Hongtu skillfully pulled a few books from the shelves. The old man's bookshelf is huge. Xiang Shan rarely reads books anymore. For him, the most advanced knowledge is either in his own projects or in the heads of his friends. But Jing Hongtu's book records something else.

"Take a look. If you don't read a philosophy book, you can also read it as a literature book. Jing Hongtu said. Then, he hesitated and pulled out another book.

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

"I'd better give you this book as well, lest you misunderstand and go the wrong way." Jing Hongtu said: "This is the result of the misuse and misuse of Nietzsche's philosophy. Also, you need to be aware of another trend of thought that hedges against 'Superman Mind'. ”

Raskolnikov, a poor college student, was pressed to the limit by society and life, he did not want to be slaughtered by others, he wanted to become a "strong man", he wanted to transcend the morality of the past and become a "superman". And the path he chose to "transform" was to kill a ruthless loan shark. But having killed the usurer and her innocent family, Raskolnikov was tormented by the punishment of conscience. Eventually, inspired by traditional religion, he surrendered to the police station and was given a new lease on life.

Jing Hongtu stroked the cover of the book: "It is 'tradition' and 'culture' that hedge against this kind of radical thought. You seem to hate this kind of thing? yes, I hate it too. However, you also have to admit that they can hedge the risk of extremism to a certain extent. I do not deny your ambition to improve your culture. I'm not worried about you making mistakes on this – Ms. Granath is still fighting alongside you. However, think about the problem from other angles. You can do it before, and don't lose it now. ”

And then ...... Yes, and this one. ”

Xiang Shan looked at the top of the pile of books in his hand: ""The Good Angel of Human Nature"? ”

"Written by a conservative professor in the United States." Jing Hongtu sighed: "A true progressive does not make any moral demands on people, such as that you should love each other, that you should have a spirit of self-sacrifice - no." That's a fanatic who waged a religious jihad. Their world is full of love and sacrifice. People who want to liberate humanity are not sacrificing themselves for the sake of being reborn in heaven. We choose self-sacrifice because this is the most appropriate path under objective conditions, and it is the realization of their self-worth. They stand with the masses, not because they are 'weak', not out of moral sympathy, but because they see the masses as a more progressive class, the 'strong without awakening'. ”

"Of course, the reason why they are desperate to push for progress is also because...... They will see the bottomless abyss of human nature. The old society constructed by the old morality is not warm in their eyes, but cruel. If you don't make progress, there will be no light. ”

Not so with conservatives. In their eyes, the world is good enough. Perhaps judging from the length of an individual's life, human civilization has its ups and downs. But historically, humanity has progressed. There are good angels in human nature, and there is kindness, love and light in every era. So they won't rush to the future like progressives. They have a warm past. ”

Xiang Shan was a little confused: "This is calling me...... Not too fast? ”

"It's not." Jing Hongtu shook his head: "You did really well, better than I imagined." But I also know that you will encounter more trials in the future. But when you are faced with a choice about human nature and history, consider these perspectives. You can see the abyss in your own heart, and you can see the pain of others. However, you might as well try to believe that there is a little bit of good angel above the abyss. Stay optimistic, you have to stay optimistic, Xiao Xiang. ”