The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant
nickbostrom.com
nickbostrom.com
Frankly, it’s a YA series with some disappointing characterizations, but it decently addresses the challenge of immortality on a global scale.
The three novels take place hundreds of years after the established of the new way of living, there’s interesting insights about the repercussions of a deathless society and what it changes for the more extreme ends of entertainment.
The story makes the point that governments will be incentivized to distribute the cure to everyone as fast as possible. Considering the US spends 1/7th of GDP for healthcare and the majority of those health problems are age related. Covid-19 showed us that administering something to an entire population in a quick manner can be done and isn't even that costly.
> And if it did, we'd have to deal with tremendous demographic pressures
What kind of demographic pressures are you talking about?
No they will not. Not in the least. Or put it this way, regardless of any incentives you can imagine, the overriding dynamic will be that powerful people will use immortality to remain in power forever, and they will have every incentive to prevent whomever they deem undesirable, unproductive, etc. from getting good health care.
Which is exactly how it works now.
Immortality will not be called immortality, it will be called premium health care. It will be incredibly expensive. It will be a subscription service.