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Is ageing still undesirable? A reply to Räsänen
  1. Pablo García-Barranquero1,
  2. Joan Llorca Albareda2,
  3. Gonzalo Díaz-Cobacho2
  1. 1 Department of Philosophy (Logic and Philosophy of Science), Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Andalucía, Spain
  2. 2 Department of Philosophy 1, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Andalucía, Spain
  1. Correspondence to Dr Pablo García-Barranquero, Department of Philosophy (Logic and Philosophy of Science), Universidad de Malaga, Malaga, Andalucía, Spain; pablogarcia{at}uma.es

Abstract

We have recently stated the reasons why we claim that biological ageing is undesirable. Räsänen has responded to our article by arguing that this process has certain desirable aspects and, therefore, our position is inconsistent. Räsänen develops two arguments to defend his position. We will call the first the argument from the totality of the ageing process and the second the argument from the reduced goods of the ageing process. In this reply, we will give reasons to show that both arguments fail. The first, on the one hand, starts from a dubious conception of ageing and, on the other hand, even accepting this conception, its reformulation is morally empty. The second incurs in an absurd conclusion.

  • Aged
  • Ethics- Medical

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Footnotes

  • X @P_GBarranquero

  • Contributors All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

  • Funding This study was funded by SocrAI+ (B-HUM-64-UGR20) and INEDyTO II (PID2020-118729RB-Ioo).

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

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