More than a decade ago, the equally celebrated and despised bioethicist Leon Kass published “L’Chaim and Its Limits: Why Not Immortality?”, a passionate homage, couched in the Jewish tradition, to the idea that aging is good. But is that a legitimate interpretation? In the Talmud, Satan, Yezer Hara (the evil inclination) and Death are equated (Baba Batra, tav zain).
Similarly, Maimonides – one of the greatest Jewish intellectual authorities, who was also a physician – highlighted the Biblical admonition, “When you build a new house, you should make a parapet for your roof so that you bring not bloodshed upon your house should any man fall therefrom,” (Deut. 22:8) and observed, “This phrase proves that preparing oneself, and adopting precautionary measures . . . can prevent their occurrence.” Clearly, were he a modern doctor, Maimonides, M.D. would endorse the development of therapies to prevent or postpone age-related ill-health.
But let us also consider the phenomenon of aging from a more emotional, even aesthetic perspective. Is aging beautiful? Many apologists for the status quo, Kass included, have claimed something of that kind. This is denial of the worst sort, since it is denial that can cost lives. The decrepitude and disease of old age is not dignified and certainly is not beautiful. We maybe seduced into thinking it is by the prevailing correlation between that decrepitude and the wisdom and other positive aspects of old age, but that is all it is, a correlation. Our duty is to change that, and create the best of both worlds: to give our elderly the youthful physical and mental health that their wisdom deserves.
Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, Ph.D. is the Chief Science Officer at the SENS Foundation. www.sens.org
