Ethics of Increasing Human
Lifespan
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Ethics of Human Lifespan Extension: Prolongevitism vs. Apologism, Slides of Biotechnology
The ethical dilemmas surrounding the potential for humans to significantly extend their lifespan. The author, christine overall, presents two opposing viewpoints: prolongevitism, which advocates for extending human life, and apologism, which accepts death as a natural part of life. The text delves into the implications of these perspectives and questions the meaning of life in relation to human longevity.
Typology: Slides
2012/2013
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Ethics of Increasing Human
Lifespan
What is the Problem?
- Humans now have the capability to extend their lifespan dramatically.
- What are the conceptual and ethical problems involved?
- Perhaps a way to solve the problem is to look at human beings in a new way.
Aging, Death and Human Longevity
- In this book, Christine Overall outlines two opposing positions—prolongevitism and apologism.
- First view advocates extension of human life, while the other regards death as a natural course of things.
- The issue is directly related to the age-old question of the meaning of life.
- Overall believes that there is merit in extending lifespan, so long as there is quality in the extended life.
- There does not seem to be anything wrong if life is extended this way.
- She does not consider social considerations.
Two Scenarios
- Scenario 1: A person lives until the age of 200; she wants to live more and is searching for the technology to help that. As a result, the technology helps her to live until the age of
Two Scenarios
- Scenario 2: Another person lives until 90, dies. Another one is born, lives until 110, dies. Another one is born, lives until 50 years old and is still living.
- Question -- What is the difference among the two scenarios?
Proposal
- The difference between the two scenarios are only apparent.
- The reason why we find this to be rather hard to accept is that we are naturally inclined to regard bodily continuity as personal continuity.
- But there is nothing in principle to guarantee that objectively.
Upshot
- Ethics of human life extension rests on a metaphysical assumption that seems to disperse after close examination.
- Instead of searching an elixir of life, one should instead search for ways so that our offsprings are well off and their environment suitable for human living. We pass on, and not hold things fast to ourselves.