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Paper short abstract

Longevity tech is dominated by technocratic age-repair narratives. I question this approach, proposing a shift toward sympoiesis - a symbiotic approach to aging. By bridging STEM and SSH, I aim to commonize life-extension frontiers, supporting marginalized voices for future bioconstitutional shifts.

Paper long abstract

Longevity biotechnology runs at the frontier of disruptive socio-technical development, yet current sociotechnical imaginaries are dominated by transhumanist, techno-optimist narratives that treat aging as a biological error to be fixed. I critically interrogate these instrumental visions by analyzing scientific literature, legal documents, and media releases in the United States, where geroscience and longbio thrive. Supported by Jasanoffian analytical categories, I argue that the dominance of a technocratic age-repair vision necessitates an urgent shift toward sympoiesis - a making-with that acknowledges our entangled existence.

I contrast the transhumanist drive for biological optimization with the organic reality of human aging, asking: can we envision a longevity biotechnology that replaces the desire to transcend nature with a symbiotic relationship between technology and the human life cycle? This study moves beyond the binary of radical engineering versus passive decline, exploring how technology might support care rather than narrow the understanding of ageing and prioritize bio-optimization.

Crucially, I position the role of an SSH researcher as a form of commoning. By bridging the current epistemic gap between STEM and SSH, my work serves as a facilitating pipe to democratize and renegotiate the frontier of tech-based life extension. By integrating diverse perspectives - including the concerns of underprivileged communities - I map and critically examine current sociotechnical imaginaries. I explore how we can foster a more equitable bioconstitutional change. Ultimately, this research seeks to move beyond the issue of longevity stratification, aiming for a sympoietic future where life extension is governed through inclusive democratic conversation.