Resumen de Human Life-Span Extension . Reflections on medicine and aging
The article provides a reflection on the bioethical dimension of anti-aging medicine, particularly with regard to the field of resear- ch in human life-span extension. The analysis is divided into three parts, the first of which is a review of biomedical technologies in- volved in the field; followed by an anthropological overview, since these technologies exert serious impacts on the meaning of the experience of human aging; and finally an assessment of the ethi- cal implications of such matters. The study examines the idea of aging as a pathological and undesirable condition, serving to justi- fy elimination of aging through medical intervention, and discus- ses the debate between medicine for longevity and ideas regar- ding human enhancement and posthumanism, while providing an analysis of the concept and anthropological value of “earthly im- mortality.” The authors reflect on the anthropological premise of aging as a pathological impairment and how it is decisive in dri- ving the moral imperative to eradicate both old age and mortality.
If, instead, aging is considered a “natural” phase of person’s life with value and meaning, then the aims of medicine will be to expect and welcome the needs associated with old age, while orien- ting medical practice to preservation of the best possible quality of life.
