this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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I mean, that's the essence of all science fiction, virtually all of which are increasingly relevant every year.
But it's not even necessary for you to understand my argument. There's nothing that necessitates that a human loses their mental faculties beyond a certain age. To arbitrarily draw a line would be the definition of ageism.
You know...I'm fine with that.
Beyond the fact your brain becomes feeble with age, there's also the practical fact that there are people in congress who haven't set foot inside a classroom since the fucking Eisenhower administration. Some of them graduated high school before plate tectonics was discovered or the transistor was invented. Here's a question for ya: Should high school diplomas or college degrees expire?
Again, not a fact. People can and do live beyond 100 without losing any mental faculties. What you mean to say is that, at the current time, as humans age, there is a high probability of them developing illnesses that result in mental degradation. That's not the same as saying "it is a fact that your brain becomes feeble with age".
I agree, that's much more relevant.
Maybe, maybe not. Either way, if the goal is to maintain a democratic system that isn't designed to induce bias or favoritism of any class over another, then level of education should never be used as a legal requirement to run for political office. That is called an aristocracy. That's not to say the job doesn't have any minimum requirements; the voters are the ones interviewing and hiring for the position, and if education is important to them, they should prioritize it in the voting booth.
IMO if a democracy fails because the voters are too stupid, then it just wasn't meant to be.