Episode 250: Andrew J Scott on why we should care about old people
In today’s stultified American gerontocracy, not everyone is convinced that we should care about old people. After all, aging baby boomers still control most of the wealth and power in an increasingly divided & inegalitarian country. But, in contrast with many of today’s age warriors, Andrew J Scott cares about the old. In fact, the 58 year-old British business school academic has built a career on fetishizing long life. His latest book is entitled The Longevity Imperative in which he explains how to build a better society for healthier, longer lives. It all sounds very reasonable, although I suspect that age will come to replace social class as the driver of political conflict in the 21st century.
Andrew J. Scott is the world’s leading expert on the economics of longevity and on ensuring that our lives aren’t just longer but also happier, healthier and more productive. An award winning researcher, speaker, author and teacher he is a co-founder of The Longevity Forum, co-author of the global bestseller, “The 100 Year Life,” and a professor of economics at London Business School, Scott’s research focuses on the implications of longevity and his advisory work on helping individuals, non-profits, corporations, and governments to seize the benefits of a longer-living society.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Strategic Hibernation: A Business Survival Guide for Turbulent Times
Italian Football: The Art of Defense and The Soul of a Nation
From Feudal Lords to AI Billionaires: Capitalism's Thousand-Year Conquest of the World
Why Football's Greatest Player Might Be Its Most Boring: The Problem (Yawn) of Lionel Messi
Maradona, Pele or Messi: Who is the Greatest Footballer of All Times?
All Sparta, No Athens: The Decline and Fall of Empires
Where Does Abundance Come From? How to Reinvent a Fairer Future in our AI Age
The Zakaria Paradox: Fareed Zakaria on the Triumph of Reactionary Politics in Our Revolutionary Post-Industrial Age
How American Eugenics Fueled Nazi Euthanasia: Psychiatry's Forgotten Complicity in the Holocaust
Chris Matthews on Robert F. Kennedy: Ten Reasons Why Bobby Still Matters
One Battle After Another in Hollywood: Why Gen Z Has Abandoned Cinema and What It Says About American Culture
Student Debt as Modern American Serfdom: A Mother Stole $200,000 in Her Daughter's Name
Keen on Hispanic America: How Latino TV Networks Reshaped American Politics and Culture