The scenario assumes aging is the main thing regulating population, but that's only one source of death.
Even if aging were cured, people would still die from disease, accidents, violence, and environmental risks. Life extension doesn't equal true immortality.
If aging disappeared tomorrow but accidents and disease still existed, how different would life expectancy actually be?
It also assumes governments could realistically ban reproduction. Humans don't reproduce through a centralized system you can switch off. Even very powerful states struggle to control fertility today.
The other missing piece is demographic transition. Wealthy, technologically advanced societies already trend toward lower birth rates on their own.
Historically when technology changes reproduction or lifespan, do societies ban behavior or adapt around it?
More likely we redefine what "human" means before we ever reach stable immortality. Life extension, biotech, artificial gestation, and maybe even off-world settlement would reshape the system long before reproduction bans become the main lever.
Would the real shift be population pressure, or the definition of human life itself?
If life extension arrives gradually instead of instantly, what demographic pattern do you actually expect to emerge?
16
u/Azure_Providence
Accidents and disease still exist. Some people will still refuse the treatments. People will still die so the real question is how much of a difference between the new birth and death rate be?
People were afraid of overpopulation for decades but it turns out once people have a decent standard of living the birth rate naturally drops. It is entirely possible immortal couples will choose to not have children at all or stop at some small number that happens to meet the replacement rate.
People in poor countries reproduce in high numbers due to lack of birth control access. Poor families in subsistence farming conditions also need more kids as a workforce. If these issues were solved families would shrink.
5
u/TonightSpiritual3191
Everyone saying it’s not going to happen by 2050 might be delusional. Truth is we’ve entered a new reality and no one knows where this is going to lead and how fast or slow adoption will be. If I had to give a prediction I’d say we might see people moving to more remote areas and maybe even the moon or in orbit. I think overpopulation isn’t a problem but people might choose to delay having children if their biological clocks are extended
5
u/antii79
By 2050? Reminds me of "women having sex with robots only by 2025". We're nowhere near close to that
5
u/mikasaxo
No. People are still going to continue dying for hundreds of years even if aging is somehow solved. Diseases, accidents, war, and just the fact we don’t have equality of treatment
2
u/medved76
Humans are already naturally solving the problem of population growth.
2
u/marilynjayna
If we cure aging then people will be fertile for longer and will delay having children. That will severely decrease the # of kids over time naturally and without govt intervention.
2
u/Users5252
People would simply reproduce less
2
u/HitandMiss28
It’s almost like you’d be happy and relieved to realize there’s a god at this point.
1
u/Useful_Calendar_6274
no unless values change radically. people will still die from other causes, mainly infections
1
u/golddragon88
With decreases in the infertility rate exceeding all predictions. Stopping aging might be a necessary action just to keep the species alive. So no I doubt they'll doubt ban reproduction.
1
u/JollyApplication6627
Depends on the death rate. Immortal doesn’t mean invincible, as in, if you were immune to aging, jumping face first into a woodchipper would still kill you.
1
u/SargeMaximus
Governments have held humanity back for so long
1
u/Trash_Princess__
This would be why space travel is so important. We would be able to spread throughout the universe rather than destroying earth.
1
u/Pasta-hobo
Impossible. All you need to reproduce are two default humans of opposite sex.
The realistic approach would be to maximize research for 100% effective birth control. If you can't stop people from making more people, you can at least make sure the majority of people born are born on purpose.
1
u/CryptoFourGames
Drugs and violence would likely remain as population control. Besides that, space colonization. Population only remains a problem in a world where we're not colonizing space
1
u/NVincarnate
No. People would select for not having children naturally as intelligence and life expectancy increase as a result of global technological advancement and living conditions decline.
Nobody wants to bring children into this trash fire of a world as it is. Why would population increase out of control?
1
u/In_the_year_3535
We can't simultaneously complain about low birth rates and an aging workforce and a fountain of youth. As for our minds handling it memory is kind of like the harmonic series were age 4 is 1 year, age 5 counts for 1/2 since you have 2 years (4 and 5), 6 counts as 1/3 (4,5, and 6) and so on. The harmonic series doesn't converge, we'll never run out (1000 will be roughly 1/1000th) but will always be heavily influenced by our earlier years.
1
u/Different_Guess_2061
We'll have artificial wombs and colonize Mars, so it won't matter: https://youtube.com/shorts/khurldIShF8?feature=share
1
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u/dust_of_the_stars
Let's put aside the very unlikely scenario that immortality will be available by 2050 and focus on more realistic problems.
There are currently more than 8 billion people living on Earth, and the growth of population is exponential, even with falling birth rates.
The space and resources on Earth are limited, and the nature destruction is catastrophic.
Worry on how to deal with the real problems in 2050 rather than fearmongering about someone taking your rights for reproduction. Reproduction will not be banned but encouraged by the government because they need wage slaves and cannon fodder for wars, so don't worry about this part.
u/Seishomin
Minor semantic point but I'd argue that aging isn't a failure and removing it isn't a 'cure'. I appreciate this might simply be a philosophical position though.
u/-7-luck
I just dont think they will soon, by 2050 much less. The idea that there's just "scientists" working around the clock on this. You understand you pretty much have to get a phd to meaningfully work in this field? That itself takes years and years. Who is sacrificing their own life to make others' lives longer?