Elon Musk says humans trying to live longer would stop society from advancing

Humans should not seek to live longer because it will halt the progress of society, Elon Musk has said.

In a new interview, the Tesla CEO was asked if he had plans to increase the longevity of human life and if he himself was interested in living longer.

Mr Musk argued that if people were to postpone death, they would also be postponing the advancement of humankind.

“I don’t think we should try to have people live for a really long time. That would cause asphyxiation of society because the truth is, most people don’t change their minds. They just die,” he told Insider.

“If they don’t die, we will be stuck with old ideas and society wouldn’t advance.”

The world is already experiencing a “serious issue” with gerontocracy, whereby leaders of a number of countries are of an older age, Mr Musk said.

He argued the age gap would put the heads of office out of touch with the bulk of the general population, restricting the function of democracy.

“In the US, it’s a very, very ancient leadership, and it is just impossible to stay in touch with the people if you are many generations older than them,” he said, in reference to president Joe Biden who, at 79, is the oldest person to serve in the White House.

The entrepreneur suggested a maximum age limit should be placed on those who want to run for office, just as there was a minimum.

Asked what the ideal age for political leadership was, Mr Musk suggested somewhere between 10 to 20 years of the average age of the population.

“I certainly would like to maintain health for a long period of time but I am not afraid of dying,” he added. “It would come as a relief.”