Cryonics (and the rest of biotechnology) can be used to make individuals live longer than political parties, governments, and empires. People who have outlived three governments won’t take the fourth so seriously.
I think that if people will live longer, then also the political parties will exist longer.
In extreme situations, sometimes a dictatorship falls only because the dictator died of old age. Now imagine a dictatorship where the dictator has the best technology for themselves, and a mediocre technology for their supporters; and of course their enemies get none. So they will have like thousand years old vampires ruling the country, opposed by some young folks who may try some cool tricks, but the vampires have already seen all those tricks dozen times.
Would it be interesting to have Thomas Jefferson alive and hear his opinions about the world today? Sure it would be. But remember that on the other side of the planet you would have Stalin alive. (At least Hitler would be dead.)
My first thought was “Oh, crap!”. Then I told myself, “Apply a reversal test: if something happened that made it impossible for anyone to survive over 60, would you have thought ‘Well, at least this means dictators can’t stay in charge too long’?”
It depends on how specifically it looks like in the alternative universe of the reversal test.
For example if it means “Stalin lives 6000 years, his henchmen live 600 years, other people live 60 years”, then “everyone lives 60 years” could be an improvement.
I am suspicious about this argument:
I think that if people will live longer, then also the political parties will exist longer.
In extreme situations, sometimes a dictatorship falls only because the dictator died of old age. Now imagine a dictatorship where the dictator has the best technology for themselves, and a mediocre technology for their supporters; and of course their enemies get none. So they will have like thousand years old vampires ruling the country, opposed by some young folks who may try some cool tricks, but the vampires have already seen all those tricks dozen times.
Would it be interesting to have Thomas Jefferson alive and hear his opinions about the world today? Sure it would be. But remember that on the other side of the planet you would have Stalin alive. (At least Hitler would be dead.)
My first thought was “Oh, crap!”. Then I told myself, “Apply a reversal test: if something happened that made it impossible for anyone to survive over 60, would you have thought ‘Well, at least this means dictators can’t stay in charge too long’?”
It depends on how specifically it looks like in the alternative universe of the reversal test.
For example if it means “Stalin lives 6000 years, his henchmen live 600 years, other people live 60 years”, then “everyone lives 60 years” could be an improvement.