Cure for aging...thoughts?

[TheoloJer]

I was browsing through BigThink’s website, and found a video by Science officer, Audrey de grey, and he talks about his ambitions for the cure of aging. In the video, he does goes into detail that it will not grant people immortality, but it will help extend lifespan of human beings…

Cure for again in future?

So what is your take on it? Personally, I think the idea is kinda fascinating, but I’m unsure on how the theological boundaries it could crossover…

Please, lend me your thoughts.

 

[Warandpeace]

I think that caring for the poor might be a better priority

 

[Julia_Mae]

I was browsing through BigThink’s website, and found a video by Science officer, Audrey de grey, and he talks about his ambitions for the cure of aging. In the video, he does goes into detail that it will not grant people immortality, but it will help extend lifespan of human beings…

I never understand why people want to do this. I can’t think of a single benefit to humanity.

 

[GEddie]

I never understand why people want to do this. I can’t think of a single benefit to humanity.

Because the idea of being dead is just plain hideous. And while a “cure for aging” will not make you immortal (you could still drown, break your neck, be poisoned etc.) it could potentially push your ugly ending indefinitely into the future.

I am sure that philosophers would at once cry havoc. But they’d have no argument more compelling than “it’s not natural, nature knows best”. IMNAAHO, that argument and US$4 would buy a gallon of fuel.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[snarflemike]

I never understand why people want to do this. I can’t think of a single benefit to humanity.

Well, you could hold off your retirement until you’re 120.

Oh wait, you said “benefit”. Never mind.

 

[Just_Lurking]

Human life is precious, and extending human life is good. If the “cure” ever becomes a ordinary medical measure, as opposed to an extraordinary medical measure, then taking it will become morally obligatory – The alternative (i.e., not taking the cure) would be equivalent to euthanasia.

 

[Trishie]

I doubt it could ever be considered an ordinary means to prolong life even if it became prevalent.

 

[po18guy]

You have as many different aging problems to solve as you do types of cells in your body: hundreds. Stop one cell type from aging and all other types go right on with their pre-programmed aging process. There is no magic signal that tells all cell types to simultaneously stop aging - rather, it is designed into the DNA of each separate type of cell. Thus, a massive gene modifying project becomes necessary. If you do not eat genetically modified foods, why would you want to live in a genetically modified body?

Another wrench in the gears: have moles on your skin? Probably many of them - some that are not pigmented, and some are beneath the outer layer of skin. Moles are pre-cancerous skin cells. Extend life long enough and they will all become melanomas (skin cancer). Then, you have something else to cure in addition to those hundreds of separate aging processes.

Oh, the aging process in the DNA of each different cell type is also perfectly synchronized with the others. How are you going to accomplish that, given the hundreds of cell types that will need individual modification?

Modify each type of cell and you have another problem: your immune system. The T-cells that are trained as infection and mutation fighters by your thymus will now begin to attack your new, non-aging body cells. Those modified cells will contain different proteins on their surfaces - proteins which are recognized as a enemy by your immune system. Your body will be at war with itself, as in an auto-immune disorder, or graft-versus-host disease with transplant patients.

You will, at some point, have to stop human reproduction, if each person is living much longer. How do you do that world-wide?

Practically speaking, we know that the earth will come to its end. Who knows when, but the sun has a set life expectancy. Let’s fast forward: say that you are 240 years old and it is the earth’s last day. You are glad to be there to witness it, but who will you tell about it? If you cannot fathom anything beyond this earth, why live at all?

This may be wonderful to daydream about, but who is going to genetically modify the first geneticist to live long enough to see this idea through?

What if there is another life, where nothing bad exists? A place where you receive your perfected body back, and there is no death; no aging because there is no time. Oh, but you must trust and have faith to experience that…

 

[Julia_Mae]

Because the idea of being dead is just plain hideous…

It isn’t anywhere near as hideous to me as having to stay here one second longer than necessary when I could be either in Heaven or a lot closer than I am now.

 

[classicar]

The REAL cure for aging is eternity with Jesus Christ—Methuselah lived to be over 900 years old, yet he also died, as was God’s decree for us fallen mortals. God’s promise is sure; no more pain, suffering, tears—I’m all in for THAT, praise God!

 

[edwest2]

Human life is precious, and extending human life is good. If the “cure” ever becomes a ordinary medical measure, as opposed to an extraordinary medical measure, then taking it will become morally obligatory – The alternative (i.e., not taking the cure) would be equivalent to euthanasia.

That is false thinking. We die when God ordains it. No “cure” will prevent death by accident, grave injury or grave illness. There will be no moral obligation to use it. Natural death means natural death.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Bill_7154]

There is a chemical in red wine that is supposed to have some anti-aging qualities. It is sold in concentrate as a health supplement or whatever. I saw a study of older people who were ingesting what ammounted to like what would be found in 2000 bottles of wine. It was a scientific study with some promise. The name of the chemical slips my mind at the moment.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this substance over the next 20-30 years or so though IMO.

 

[GEddie]

There is a chemical in red wine that is supposed to have some anti-aging qualities. It is sold in concentrate as a health supplement or whatever. I saw a study of older people who were ingesting what ammounted to like what would be found in 2000 bottles of wine. It was a scientific study with some promise. The name of the chemical slips my mind at the moment

Resveratrol

 

[Just_Lurking]

I doubt it could ever be considered an ordinary means to prolong life even if it became prevalent.

I doubt that any such “cure” is scientifically possible at all. But assuming that it is, there is no reason to believe it wouldn’t be ordinary means, which by definition is “able to be obtained and used without extreme difficulty in terms of pain, expense, or other burdening factors.”

 

[GEddie]

I doubt that any such “cure” is scientifically possible at all. But assuming that it is, there is no reason to believe it wouldn’t be ordinary means, which by definition is “able to be obtained and used without extreme difficulty in terms of pain, expense, or other burdening factors.”

It could be possible. It depends on what is the mechanism to be fought.

If ageing is 1) the result of physical entropy, there would be no single means to fight it, as various human body systems entropize by different mechanisms.

If, however, it comes about as 2) part of a genetic “kill” to “make room for the next generation”, then turning off the genes responsible would get rid of it.

We don’t yet know whether 1) or 2) or some combination of both is the problem.

ICXC NIKA

 

[TheoloJer]

Thanks for your thoughts anyone.

I never understand why people want to do this. I can’t think of a single benefit to humanity.

Well, according to Audrey’s perspective, he wants to help keep people healthy, and he wants to lower the daily death tolls. I can appreciate how he’s trying to help improve humanity, I guess I’m a little concerned with the unknown of what may happen. Have we reached another point closer to where we’re trying to play God now?

Because the idea of being dead is just plain hideous. And while a “cure for aging” will not make you immortal (you could still drown, break your neck, be poisoned etc.) it could potentially push your ugly ending indefinitely into the future.

I am sure that philosophers would at once cry havoc. But they’d have no argument more compelling than “it’s not natural, nature knows best”. IMNAAHO, that argument and US$4 would buy a gallon of fuel.

ICXC NIKA.

Again, he stated that he’s not trying to keep people from dying or grant them immortality, he just wants to help lower death. Again, good intentions, but still have unknown concerns.

 

[Shlomo]

The alternative to aging is maturity,
The alternative to death is eternal life.
Prolonging life is not necessarily beneficial to a person.

 

[GEddie]

The alternative to aging is maturity,
The alternative to death is eternal life.
Prolonging life is not necessarily beneficial to a person.

It is definitely beneficial to the human body.

The human body is intrinsic to the person.

So it is beneficial to the person. QED.

Remember, at some point, eternal life via Messianic resurrection will come to pass, and those who are still breathing when that happens will be alive forever. They’d get to miss the whole death thing altogether. I’d call that the ultimate benefit.

Shalom, ICXC NIKA

 

[tabycat]

Line from a Conan movie: “Do you what to live forever?” Said to Conan from the ghost of a dead ‘lady’ friend.

 

[Julia_Mae]

It could be possible. It depends on what is the mechanism to be fought.

If ageing is 1) the result of physical entropy, there would be no single means to fight it, as various human body systems entropize by different mechanisms.

If, however, it comes about as 2) part of a genetic “kill” to “make room for the next generation”, then turning off the genes responsible would get rid of it.

We don’t yet know whether 1) or 2) or some combination of both is the problem.

ICXC NIKA

You still have to account for disappearing telomeres, though. Maybe they found a way to regenerate them.