Is the Inevitability of Aging Real?

This is a very interesting video of a conference given by Aubrey de Grey arguing, rather provocatively, that the process of aging is not inevitable. His main argument is that biological and medical methods aimed at combating the aging process are hopeless, but that if we look at aging as an engineering problem, and apply a corresponding methodology to approaching it, then we could actually solve it.

It is interesting that since he changes the focus of his approach from a biological to an engineering approach, the typical biological counterarguments objected to his views seem to be weakened, or to simply miss the point.

Still, there is no denying, I would argue contra Grey, that at least part of aging is a biological process. Of course, this is subject to empirical confirmation that aging is not simply a process in which biological molecules break down but one in which our genetic material itself actually codes for this process to take place. Then again, I suppose Grey could make the argument that this genetic problem is also an engineering problem and not a biological one, and that, accordingly, it could be solved using corresponding measures.

Whether Grey is right or not (and as far as I know, the jury is still out on this one), I really enjoyed the beginning of his talk, as he swiftly challenges the accepted resignation toward the inevitability of senescence and death, and even more so when he makes the brilliant argument that deciding not to support his campaign is morally reprehensible, since we would be imposing our values on future generations instead of allowing them to make that choice for themselves.
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