I have a very personal/weird opinion on this issue. I'm type 1 diabetic, so I must have insulin or else I have a couple painful weeks to live, at best.
On the one hand, yes, modernity keeps me alive, at far greater than "half-life," thanks to control theory and hi-tech sensor technology. But on the other hand modernity was the very thing which caused my t1d in the first place -- environment is thought to cause t1d, with rates much higher in developed countries.
This issue is one of those 'what does it all mean' type of issues, for me personally.
On the one hand, yes, modernity keeps me alive, at far greater than "half-life," thanks to control theory and hi-tech sensor technology. But on the other hand modernity was the very thing which caused my t1d in the first place -- environment is thought to cause t1d, with rates much higher in developed countries.
This issue is one of those 'what does it all mean' type of issues, for me personally.