Is Life Extension Today a Faustian Bargain?

Frontiers in Medicine

S. Jay Olshansky¹ 

关键词: aging;    mortality;    longevity;    health;    biology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2017.00215

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The legend of Faust is a thought-provoking tale from the middle ages, which has a surprising connection to the world of aging today. The story is both inspiring and tragic at the same time. In one famous version of the tale from Goethe, Faust is an idealist scholar that becomes disillusioned with his limits to knowledge. Bored and suicidal, Faust becomes the target of the devil Mephistopheles who says he can satisfy Faust’s desire for unlimited knowledge and also promises him youth, pleasures of the flesh, and magical powers—for a predetermined period. In exchange, after the allotted time, the devil will claim Faust’s soul and forever be enslaved. The story of Faust has become a metaphor for a promise or tradeoff that at first seems appealing, but with time is revealed to be a bad bargain.

【 授权许可】

CC BY