Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant

"The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant" is a 2005 fable by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom about aging and death. It tells the story of a kingdom whose inhabitants are forced to sacrifice thousands of people each day to an apparently invincible dragon. Eventually, advances in technology allow them to kill the dragon, ending centuries of suffering and death. The dragon represents human senescence, and the fable argues for scientific research aimed at preventing age-related disease and extending healthy human life.