Longevity and the Good Life

Along with advances in knowledge about why we age, the potential of biotechnologies for manipulating human biology means the prospects of living longer, healthier lives are greatly improving. Medical enhancements, which may include extending life spans, raise a number of anxieties, which fall within broader concerns about the relationship between technology and our values. Drawing on the debate about medical enhancements, Longevity and the Good Life considers the value of longer life spans and disputes the idea that immortality would be desirable. It considers the means for achieving greater longevity and whether they would undermine the value of succeeding. Finally, it assesses the consequences for the fair distribution of resources, particularly healthcare, and argues that although desirable, the implications of longer life spans will challenge values, such as the idea that people are essentially equal, which are fundamental to the good life.

Anthony Farrant has taught Bioethics at the University of York, UK. His key interests are Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy.