Is It Wrong to Extend Human Life?

An interesting science article reports that humans may be "programmed" by their DNA to die earlier than they need to. Why would evolution have selected this trait? Possibly to improve the chances for the next generation, who could be carrying a better set of genes through mutation or natural selection.

If this is true, and at this point it is just theory, then you know what the inevitable consequence will be. Money will be thrown at the question in order to determine if this "suicide system" could be defeated. Sooner or later, one way or another, science will engineer a means of extending human life. When that happens, the spam you get hawking Viagra will seem like a drop in the bucket.

Whether or not it's true that our DNA controls our longevity, it seems obvious that the planet is already overpopulated, and that our advances in science have thwarted Nature's ability to prune our stock of individuals who are not fit enough to survive without assistance. I know it sounds cold-hearted, but ultimately, the factors that reduce a herd by preying on the sick and infirm improve the health and viability of the herd as a whole.

Should we allow purveyors of longevity drugs to weaken the health and longevity of our species as a whole? I think we should not. What I fear, though, is that every human with an elderly parent or elderly self would overwhelmingly vote to allow life extending treatments. The future of our race be damned.


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