To everything there is a season?

Abstract

In the Old Testament, an ancient Hebrew philosopher wrote “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born; a time to die” ( Ecclesiastes 3: 1–2). Until recently, humans had little choice but to accept this wisdom and the given aspects of life that lay beyond their control. As Benjamin Franklin once remarked, there is “nothing…certain except death and taxes”. Nevertheless, throughout history, medicine has sought to put off death occurring before its due time. With advances in understanding the human body and its processes on a molecular level, however, the possibility has emerged of delaying death well beyond its ‘normal’ time. If we could extend normal lifespan, it is claimed we should do so. But should we really aspire to live as long as possible, or even, as some speculate, forever? > The idea of an elixir to keep one forever youthful is as old as Greek mythology and as recent as Harry Potter The idea of an elixir to keep one forever youthful is as old as Greek mythology and as recent as Harry Potter (Rowling, 1997). In all probability, it remains as far away as it ever did, but this does not stop some searching for it. Two current embodiments of this relentless quest are found in the bizarre claims of the Raelian sect that cloning can make humans immortal, and in transhumanists’ speculation that humankind will progressively learn to overcome bodily decay, enabled by a convergence of breakthroughs in different areas of science. These technologically mediated ideas of eternal life contrast greatly with the belief in eternal life of a different order that is found in most major religions, and especially in Christianity. This essay therefore examines some of the problems inherent in the idea of life extension from …