Us presidential hopeful plans to abolish death using technology

“We want to make it so we live 5,000 years, 10,000 years, however long we want to live” (Image: Zoltan Istvan) Zoltan Istvan ran for the American presidency in 2016 as part of the

transhumanism movement. He argues humans should be able to live for “5,000 years, 10,000 years, however long we want” within a matter of decades. As part of his 2016 campaign he drove from

California to Washington DC in a coach decorated as a coffin, nicknamed the ‘immortality bus’. RELATED ARTICLES Transhumanists believe technology can and should be used to expand human

capabilities, potentially including the elimination of natural death. Many transhumanists think this will be achieved by a partial merger of humans and machines. Speaking to Express.co.uk Mr

Istvan said: “I have two children, I don’t want them to die. “I want to save them and the way we save them is not through prayers and thoughts, the way we save them is through radical new

science and radical new technology. “A third of everybody you know will die from heart disease but transhumanists are not interested in improving the heart, we’re interested in replacing the

heart with something bionic because we think the heart is a frail mechanism that’s designed only to last 60 or 70 years. READ MORE: DONALD TRUMP IMPEACHMENT - JAMES COMEY REJECTS CALLS TO

IMPEACH RIVAL Zoltan Istvan pictured with the 'immortality bus' during the 2016 campaign (Image: Zoltan Istvan) “We want to make it so we live 5,000 years, 10,000 years, however

long we want to live.” Transhumanists argue natural human capabilities can be expanded on with the help of technology, which can be inserted directly into the body if necessary. While this

technology remains in its infancy, some transhumanists have already started augmenting their bodies. These include Mr Istvan, who had a tiny chip inserted into his hand while on the

presidential campaign trail in 2016. He explained: “I have a tiny chip in my hand. It opens front doors, it sends out a text message, you can do all sorts of things. “There are now thousands

of people around the world with these kinds of implants.” READ MORE: TRUMP ELECTION POLLS LATEST - 'TRUMP SHOULD BE SCARED' OF APPROVAL DROP RELATED ARTICLES Zoltan Istvan

campaigning ahead of the 2020 presidential election (Image: Zoltan Istvan) Transhumanism has been growing rapidly as a political movement over the past few years. There are now registered

transhumanist party’s across the world, including in the UK. Mr Istvan stated: “It’s grown a lot since 2016 there’s no question about that. “Especially in terms of venture funding going into

the life extension industry and other people pushing forth goals like that. “Pretty soon millions of people will say ‘yer I subscribe to transhumanism or I don’t mind some upgrades in my

body’. “Right now I think most people would probably say no to upgrades but that’s going to change, that’s changing every year.” Zoltan Istvan campaigning ahead of the 2016 presidential

election (Image: Zoltan Istvan) The transhumanist movement is particularly strong in technology communities, especially the Silicon Valley area of California where Mr Istvan lives. Noted

tech entrepreneurs, such as PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have poured money into life extension research. Mr Istvan suggested he could run for the presidency again in 2020, this time

potentially seeking the candidacy of a major party. He commented: “I’m probably going to run in 2020 again, I haven’t made that final decision yet and I’ll probably wait another month or

two. “I can tell you that I’m going to join one of the major parties, America is setup such that there are only really two political parties.” Zoltan Istvan pictured during his 2016

presidential campaign (Image: Zoltan Istvan) Mr Istvan was particularly concerned that the technologies he advocates develop primarily in democratic countries. China he argued, possibly

because it’s more secular than the US, is making major advances in the field. He explained: “It’s so vital that transhumanism evolves in an environment where democracy thrives. “We have to

ensure the transhumanist world unfolds in a democratic way. “If we are not careful we will wake up in thirty years and China will have babies that are five times smarter than the West, and

that’s what happens when some people hold back and some people move forward.”