Susan B. Levin argues that the human confidence that an ageless body would be better is irrational. She offers a Kantian-inspired argument to show that human understanding cannot rationally access the experiences of a post-human and ageless existence. We challenge this rationale with a three-step argument: first, an ageless body does not have to be post-human. One should distinguish between the transhumanist projects of life extension and accounts focused on enhancing well-being and quality of life. An existence without aging does not require a radical change in one's temporal intuitions, which makes rational discussion possible. Second, we defend that biological aging does not entail any valuable goods. These goods refer to the chronological dimension of aging. Finally, we argue that biological aging is indeed negative and one may need biotechnological interventions in aging to achieve internal transcendence. Thus, we rationally argue that an ageless body would be better.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11017-024-09685-z | DOI Listing |
J Prev Alzheimers Dis
October 2024
Suzana Shahar, Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness (HCARE), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Theor Med Bioeth
December 2024
Department of Philosophy I (Moral and Political Philosophy), University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, 18011, Granada, Spain.
Susan B. Levin argues that the human confidence that an ageless body would be better is irrational. She offers a Kantian-inspired argument to show that human understanding cannot rationally access the experiences of a post-human and ageless existence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRejuvenation Res
December 2024
Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness (HCARE), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Frailty, a multifaceted syndrome, affects approximately 26% of older adults globally, yet there are limited data on the prevalence and longitudinal impact of frailty subtypes. Therefore, in this study, we aim to determine the prevalence of physical, psychological, and cognitive frailty, transitions between subtypes, and associated health determinants among Malaysian community-dwelling older adults. This study is part of the longitudinal aging study in Malaysia (LRGS Ageless and TUA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiogerontology
August 2023
State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
There is growing evidence that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a functional role in tissue repair and anti-aging by transferring the contents of donor cells to recipient cells. We hypothesized that Dauer (C. elegans), known as "ageless" nematodes, can also secrete extracellular vesicles and influence the lifespan of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiogerontology
February 2018
Federal Research Center «Computer Science and Control» of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 44-2 Vavilov St., Moscow, Russia, 119333.
Researchers working in the area of ageing have found numerous manifestations of this process at the molecular biological level, including DNA and protein damage, accumulation of metabolic by-products, lipids peroxidation, macromolecular cross-linking, non-enzymatic glycosylation, anti-oxidant/pro-oxidant misbalance, rising of pro-inflammatory cytokines, etc. This results in an increase in the proportion of cells in growth arrest, reduction of the rate of information processing, metabolic rate decrease, and decrease in rates of other processes characterizing dynamic aspects of the organism's interaction with its environment. Such staggering multilevel diversity in manifestation of senescence precludes (without methodology of systems biology) development of a correct understanding of its primary causes and does not allow for developing approaches capable of postponing ageing or reducing organisms' ageing rate to attain health preservation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!