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Comment by 3vidence | Hacker News Reader

We have age minimums for just about everything it doesn't seem crazy to have age maximum for things for mainly the same reasons.

Isn't the minimum age for presidential candidates 35? That actually seems weirder to me than an age maximum of 80.

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That's not really weird at all. It's enough time to gain some experience and wisdom in the world before being endowed as Commander in Chief of the most powerful military on earth.

A maximum age is dumb though. There really is no telling what developments in tech will lead to in terms of human lifespan.

I'm more concerned with people staying in politics for too long. Yes if someone entered Congress at 25 they should certainly be gone by 45, but if they started at 65 I see no reason to boot them out based on some arbitrary age restriction.

So don’t vote for young candidates then? Why do you need these limits?

I think young men given massive amounts of power while they're at peak testosterone levels has proven rather destructive throughout human history.

It’s not strictly necessary. And Congress has seated people younger than the minimum on several occasions. So in practice it doesn’t have much effect.

> And Congress has seated people younger than the minimum on several occasions.

This would be news to me, one way or the other that's inarguably unconstitutional.

A member of the House can be 25, a Senator must be at least 30, and the President has to be at least 35 and born in the USA.

Is it okay to die?

Are we each so important that we need to extend our life with technology, beyond the low-tech solutions of exercise, sleep, nutrition (can get enough exercise just meeting this need), warmth, purpose, and love?

What is the role of culture and generational bonds in all this?

It’s not just okay, it is necessary. Otherwise, old ideas won’t die and give room for new ideas to grow, like a forest burning so that the saplings can get sun.

There is already precedent of careers in aviation having required retirement ages. In areas with high stakes, it is not unreasonable to have age limits.

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