This is not a book about simple life extension fantasies. It is a book about what follows when lifespan becomes a capability: when ageing can be measured, influenced and perhaps edited; when healthspan gains arrive unevenly; and when the institutions built around the old human timetable begin to fracture under the pressure of a new reality.

As breakthroughs in biotechnology, computation and medicine begin to converge, questions once confined to myth and science fiction become political, economic and moral problems. Who gets access first? What happens to careers, pensions, inheritance and power when healthy life expands? What happens when the conquest of time benefits some groups long before others?

Drawing on the figure of Chronos, other mythical characters and the deeper wisdom of Metis, this volume argues that longevity is not merely a biomedical story. It is a civilizational test. Without foresight, rules and shared horizons, the extension of life could widen inequality, harden advantage and destabilize the human contract it claims to improve.

The Chronos Conundrum offers readers a framework for thinking clearly about one of the most consequential shifts of the century: not just whether we can live longer, but whether we are prepared for what longer life will do to society.

For readers interested in longevity, governance, technology and the future of human life, this book is a strategic exploration of a world where decline may no longer be destiny.