Death is Wrong" - How Vitalism Movement Infiltrated US Government

"Death is wrong—for everyone. It's morally wrong."

This isn't the opening line of a science fiction novel. It's the core belief of a growing movement that considers death humanity's "core problem" and has quietly infiltrated the highest levels of US government.

Welcome to Vitalism—a philosophy-turned-movement that's reshaping how America approaches aging, death, and the very nature of human existence.

From Pop-Up Cities to Policy Halls

Vitalism officially launched in 2023 at Zuzalu, a temporary city in Montenegro designed for life extension enthusiasts and tech innovators. Founded by Adam Gries and Nathan Cheng, the movement goes far beyond philosophical debates about mortality.

These aren't just dreamers—they're strategists. In 2024, longevity supporters presented their case directly to politicians in Washington, DC, including Mehmet Oz, who now leads the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Their goal: change laws and policies to expand access to experimental anti-aging treatments.

The results are already visible. Jim O'Neill, a longtime longevity advocate, was appointed deputy secretary of health and human services. "It seems that now there is the most pro-longevity administration in American history," Gries recently declared.

The Weird Science of Immortality

But this movement operates in a space where cutting-edge science meets bizarre experimentation. MIT Technology Review's journalist spent two years following these enthusiasts from Switzerland to Honduras to a Berkeley compound, witnessing scenes that blur the line between breakthrough and breakdown.

Picture this: dinner guests drawing blood at an upscale hotel restaurant to test their biological age. Plans to inject multiple doses of experimental gene therapy into men's penises for erectile dysfunction—all in pursuit of "radical longevity." Self-proclaimed eugenicists advocating for IVF embryo selection based on longevity potential.

One supporter even detailed plans for a multi-partner relationship made possible through cryopreservation and reanimation of a man and his multiple wives throughout history.

Government Goes All-In

Despite—or perhaps because of—this eccentricity, the movement is gaining serious institutional support. Alicia Jackson, the new director of ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health), previously founded Evernow, a company focused on "health and longevity for every woman."

"There's a lot of interesting technologies, but they all kind of come back to the same thing: Could we extend life years?" Jackson said in a recent interview. She confirmed her agency has "incredible support" from "the very top of HHS"—a clear reference to O'Neill.

ARPA-H, established in 2022 under Biden to fund "breakthrough" biomedical research, now appears to have longevity as a core focus. The agency's budget and mandate could reshape how America approaches aging research.

The Longevity Industrial Complex

This isn't happening in isolation. Longevity clinics are multiplying across the country. Documentaries about living forever flood streaming platforms. Social media influencers peddle anti-aging protocols to millions of followers.

But what makes this moment different is the convergence of fringe philosophy, serious science, and political power. When government agencies with billion-dollar budgets start asking "Could we extend life years?" as their guiding question, we're witnessing more than a cultural shift—we're seeing the birth of a new policy paradigm.