Life extension, human rights, and the rational refinement of repugnance
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Philosophical essay and expert opinion with no empirical human data (design analogy)
OpenAlex W2127683975 · doi:10.1136/jme.2005.011957
What was done
This is a conceptual bioethical essay examining societal ambivalence toward radical and indefinite human life extension. The author analyzed ethical, psychological, and human rights arguments regarding whether developing biomedical interventions to cure biological aging is morally desirable and defensible.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical data or quantitative findings. The author presents theoretical arguments asserting that objections to curing aging function primarily as psychological coping mechanisms for an immutable reality, that these objections conflict with more fundamental human values supporting health and life preservation, and that hesitation to pursue anti-aging biomedical research delays life-saving discoveries.
Why it matters
The paper articulates a foundational pro-longevity bioethical position, framing the eradication of biological aging as a direct extension of standard healthcare and human rights.
Limits
This work is purely normative and conceptual, containing no clinical, experimental, or observational human data. It represents the reasoning and perspective of a single author rather than an empirical test or systematic evidence synthesis.
Cited by
- supports The term 'longevity escape velocity' was coined by biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey.