Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The obsession with inhibiting aging...

Coming upon the website of the Methuselah Foundation and the Methuselah Mouse prize begins to bring out the curmudgeon in me. I'm fine with prolonging vitality thought better understanding of the chemistry of aging (check out BrainReady.com, and previous lists of anti-aging sites I've put on the blog, check blog category "aging"), but fantasies about immortality strike me a pure hubris. Contra Dylan Thomas, I think we bloody ought to go gently into that good night, once we've done a good turn here....

4 comments:

  1. Just because you want to die, why do you think you've the right to force me to?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't think that my expression of what I think is appropriate is forcing anyone else to do anything...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I decided to start the Methuselah Foundation with Aubrey after seeing older folks suffer from Parkinsons, strokes, alzheimers loneliness and sense of uselessness - all while they fervently wishing they didn't have to go through all that and wanting desperately to go back to work and contribute. I am not an advocate for immortality - I'm an advocate for health and vitality as long as possible...and to create the ability to choose such.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Guess I should be a tad more diplomatic.... I was set off by a particular entry that came up in the "what the experts say" box implying there was no limit to lifespan - I haven't seen it again on returning to the site.

    ReplyDelete