Death, Legacy & the Philosophy of Longevity — with Stephen Cave : 1297
The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey
Dave Asprey
4.6 • 7.3K Ratings
🗓️ 1 July 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if death isn’t inevitable but a solvable problem? This episode explores how biohacking is reshaping our understanding of mortality, legacy, and the limits of human performance. You’ll learn why some of today’s top thinkers are treating longevity as both a science and a spiritual movement, and how this shift affects your brain, your mitochondria, and your entire approach to life.
Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:
https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR
Host Dave Asprey sits down with philosopher and best-selling author Dr. Stephen Cave, Director of the Institute for Technology and Humanity at the University of Cambridge. With decades of expertise studying death, immortality, and ethics, Dr. Cave brings a rare depth of insight into how our desire to live longer intersects with neuroplasticity, supplements, and even nootropics.
Together, they unpack the four universal immortality narratives, the dangers of mind uploading, and why AI might become humanity’s next god or destroyer. You’ll discover how legacy, ego, functional medicine, and even fasting and ketosis play into our fear of death. The conversation also dives into the deeper psychological and societal consequences of radical life extension, and what happens when biohacking crosses into belief.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone serious about hacking longevity, brain optimization, metabolism, and building a future where living to 180 isn’t science fiction. You’ll also hear surprising thoughts on Danger Coffee, RFK, sleep optimization, and how to approach mortality using the Smarter Not Harder mindset.
You’ll Learn:
• Why all technology is a form of life extension
• How ego and boredom threaten longevity more than disease
• The real dangers of digital immortality and uploading consciousness
• Why procrastination could be the enemy of eternal life
• How to balance transhumanist tech with human values
• The surprising connection between cold therapy, supplements, and meaning
Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.
Episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday, where Dave asks the questions no one else dares and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.
SPONSORS:
Puori | Head to http://puori.com/dave for 20% off, including subscriptions.
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Resources:
• Dave Asprey’s New Book - Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated/
• Stephen's Website: https://www.ith.cam.ac.uk/staff/stephen-cave
• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com
• Dave Asprey’s Website: https://daveasprey.com
• Dave Asprey’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/daveasprey
• Upgrade Collective – Join The Human Upgrade Podcast Live: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com
• Own an Upgrade Labs: https://ownanupgradelabs.com
• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com
• 40 Years of Zen – Neurofeedback Training for Advanced Cognitive Enhancement: https://40yearsofzen.com
Timestamps:
• 00:00 Trailer
• 01:09 Intro
• 01:39 Life Extension Challenges
• 02:05 Boredom and Mental Health
• 04:28 Immortality vs. Enlightenment
• 06:21 Death’s Role in Civilization
• 09:06 Life Stages and Aging
• 10:41 Global Immortality Narratives
• 15:50 Personal Takes on Immortality
• 20:46 Biohacking and Longevity
• 28:43 Transhumanism Today
• 31:00 Techno-Utopianism and Happiness
• 32:20 Wealth and Fulfillment
• 32:54 Purpose and Meaning
• 34:00 Legacy and Death
• 36:33 Near-Death and Mortality
• 37:52 Time and Procrastination
• 42:00 AI and Human Future
• 45:56 Ethics of Life Extension
• 50:35 Autonomy and Mortality
• 52:35 Dangerous Ideas in Longevity
• 55:53 Advice for the Young
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | If you've already dialed in your diet and your training, but you're still hitting a wall, it's probably not just aging. |
| 0:06.5 | There's a powerful compound that your body used to make, but it doesn't make it anymore. |
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| 0:22.2 | it's for your brain and for your mitochondria. Creatine supports mitochondrial function, which supports |
| 0:27.5 | cognitive clarity. And it's one of the most underrated tools for having more brain energy, |
| 0:32.7 | more recovery, and even for longevity, especially as your age or just because you pulled another all-nighter. |
| 0:39.3 | Puri's creatine plus is next level clean and effective. |
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| 0:52.6 | without any kind of jittery or stimulant side effects. Puree tests every single batch for over 200 contaminants, and they have |
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| 1:04.6 | bottle to see your batch's results. It's unflavored, it's easy to mix. Just toss it in water or |
| 1:10.0 | your morning shake, or even your danger coffee. |
| 1:12.7 | No extra steps, no strange taste, just results. |
| 1:15.7 | Add it to your routine and give your body and your brain what it's missing. |
| 1:19.0 | Go to puri.com slash Dave. |
| 1:21.7 | That's p-u-o-r-i-com slash Dave to get 20% off including subscriptions. |
| 1:30.1 | Most of the inventions of civilization are really life extension technologies you know hunting and agriculture i've done enormous amounts |
| 1:34.9 | of technology assisted meditation and i've had near death experiences a couple times and i actually |
| 1:40.3 | don't have any fear i can attack the time the ancient quest for human immortality has collided with ultra-modern developments in biology |
... |
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