Towards a Philosophy of Gerontology(1)

8/13/2019 Towards a Philosophy of Gerontology(1)

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Towards a philosophy ofgerontology, version 8

1.Introduction.

2.Fundamentalgerontological considerations

on aging.

2.0.Definition of senescence.

2.1.On the process of

senescence.


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2.3.The forms of the pressure

of time.

2.. !"planator#$theoreticaspects of senescence.

3. %hilosophical thoughts onthe e"planation of aging.

. To&ards eradication ofaging' a philosophicalstrateg#.

1.Introduction: An atemptto mediate a deeper

compatibility betweenPhilosophy andGerontology

(hat is philosoph# in

general, or &hat is the


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specific of philosoph#) For*ristotel, philosoph# is the

+no&ledge of the firstprinciples and causes $ thosesupreme principles &hiche"plain the &holee"istence-oltescu, 2002

p.10 /. For ant, philosoph#is +no&ledge # concepts orthe search of the limits of ourcognitive capacities. Foregel, philosoph# is therational +no&ledge ofasolute. For (ittgenstein,philosoph# is the activit# ofeludation of thoughts. For

analitical philosophers,philosoph# is the anal#sis ofscientific language or ofcommon language. Foreidegger, philosoph# is the

e"istential anal#tics , that is


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investigating of those modesof eing that are proper to

human e"istentDasein/

For Fran+furt schoolrepresentatives 4arcuse/,philosoph# is the critical

theor# of modern societ# andof forms of reification andhuman alienation in theac+ground of this societ#.-oltescu considered that 5Inits esence, philosoph# is thisreflection, this meditation #&hich &e &ant tounderstand, to distinguish the

sense of &orld and of ourproper e"istence$$$and #understanding, to lierate us,to con6uer our spiritualautonom#5-oltescu 2002,

p.21/. 4ost philosophers had


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considered that philosoph# isa +no&ledge, differences

appear either concerning itso7ect first principles, theasolute, the universal etc./or its method # concepts toant/ or its facult#reason,

senses etc/. ut, isphilosoph# limited 7ust to aform of contemplative+no&ledge disinterested froma practical or applicativepoint of vie&) Tudosescuconsiders that5...onl# inlimits in &hich itconditionate value

reedifications at the level ofother forms of socialconscience and, respective,modifications in the structureof the tales of cultural

values, so that these to


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stimulate changes &hith deepcharacter in the structure and

d#namics of civili9ations, &ecan sa# that philosoph# havean applicativecharacter5Tudosescu 1::;,p.1:/.


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of realit#, sustance,microph#sics level, or some

characteristics of the universas a &hole, li+e evolution orcosmic ecoming. Othersconsidered that, philosoph#studies e"istence in its

totalit# . ut eaufret have&ritten aout (ollf'5(ollf isproposing for himselftherefore to ma+e the censusof essentialias, that is of allthat it can e said aouteing as eing. This scienceis, # conse6uence, thescience of eing as

posiilit#....One can tal+aout eing &ithout to sa# a&ord aout its e"istence. Thelast is 7ust a 5complementumposiilitatis5, a complement

of posiilit#.5eaufret 1::8,


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p.11/. On the other hand,there are special

philosophies, as ethics orethical philosoph#, &hich are6uasi$disinterested aoutsome ontic or ontologicalaspects of realit#. There is

some autonom# et&eensome philosophicaldisciplines, such as there is acertain freedom in humanlife. *n alternativecharacteri9ation ofphilosoph# concerns its aims.Thus, for =escher thecharacteristic aims of

philosoph# are' i/ %rovideans&ers to those domaindefinitive 6uestions, that is,propound and comunicateinformation that conve#s

these ans&ers . (e &ant


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ans&ers./ ii/


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forms$$$art, religion,science$$$is a

metaphilosophical one. ut,ho& it can e 7ustified thisdiversit# of opinions aoutthe esence of philosoph#)-oltescu had considered that'

5The t&o levels ofphilosoph#, >first$orderphilosoph# andmetaphilosoph#? are ininteraction, are situated in acircularit# raport, thethin+ers options in the planeof proper philosoph# havingeffects on their

metaphilosophicalconceptions and, converse,their metaphilosophicalconceptions influence theirinvestigations in the plane of


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proper philosoh#.5-oltescu,2002, p.18$1:/.

About the antireduction ofphilosophy, science, mindand imortality

@i+e Aacariu et al 2001,p.2;B/, I consider that theprevious characteri9ationsare partl# correct ut the#concern philosoph# from asingle perspective,sometimes from areductionist point of vie&.The# can e considered as

6uasi$complementar#.o&ever, previouscharacteri9ations, either inparticular or ta+en alltogether simultaneousll#, do

not succed to surprise all that


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&as, all that is, all that &ille, all that can e

philosoph#. ut, until to&hat limits can ephilosoph# e"tended anddeveloped) (hat isphilosoph#) Or, can e it

unificated) If an unification# reduction at one of theprevious characteri9ations isinacceptale, still remain aposiilit# of unification not# reduction ut # anultimate persistent aim,ideal. I &ill ilustrate this &ithan e"ample from philosoph#

of science. %opperconsidered that truth is theregulative ideal of science,and in this sense truth ma#have an unificator# role,

relative to various special


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sciences, as a common aim,ideal, tac+ to&ard all the

scientific propensitiesconverge. ut, truth singlema#e is a too strongcriterion of scientificit# andis not enough as an ideal of

science, ecause the commonstatements as 5the sun isrilliant5 are not veritalescientific statements, ecausethe# are too common$truths.4ore constrains are needed.In addition, science should topursue also sistematice"planation, the la&s and the

freedom grades of universe atall its levels, frommicrocosmos to individualhuman conscience, societ#and macrocosmos.


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Against antistructuralreductionism

Fet9er assume that scienceaims at the discover# of la&sof nature that have the formof general principles that are

applicaile for the purposesof e"planation andprediction. On the otherhand, science should not toprefere simplicit# andeconom# necessarl#.


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science should to pursueunit# onl# in the case in &ich

&orld is real# unitar#. ut,&e do not +no& a priori thatuniverse have an ultimateuniversal unit#. This aims arepreferale ut the# are

contingent aims, there# the#have a contingent scientificvalue. 4a#e, the universehave a fundamentalontological level &ich have anecessar# e"istence, andconse6uentl# is universal,forin ever# posile &orld,ut the universe unit# should

not e identified &ith theunit# of science. The unit# ofuniverse e"ist at thefundamental ontologicallevel, ut the unit# of human

science is at the level of


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human conscious level. Thehuman consciousness is

something that e"ist at anupper ontological level, thatdepend on a more comple"level of organi9ation. If the5elementar# particles5 are not

elementar#, if there e"ist anultimate uni6ue$t#pe$of$ontological$primitive,ho&ever, 5organi9ation is apropert# &ich cannot ereduced to the properties ofits parts, for the ehavior ofeach part depends on those ofthe others and on the aims of

the &hole.5Del =e, 1::8/.# previous phrase I havenot intentioned to defend theautonom# of chemistr#,iolog# or of ps#cholog#

against microph#sicsEs


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imperialism. I onl# intendedto critici9e the tendenc# to

reduce all the emergentproperties of s#stems &ithcomple" organi9ation to thesums of the properties oftheir microparts. I disageed

&hith idea that all thephenomena from superiororgani9ational comple"it#levels supervene as simplesums of the phenomena fromlo&er levels.The superior cognitivecapacities of human rain areasent at the single neuron

level, that is neurons are notsmall rains. rain is not aig neuron.For e"emple, if &e ta+e t&othousand of resistors and &e

tr# to connect them in all


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posiile structures, &e +no&that there is onl# one

unnecessarystructure, &ichis total serial, in &ich thetotal resistance, thephenomenon from higherlevel, is the sum of the

resistance of each resistor, orthe sum of the properties ofphenomena from the lo&erlevel, ut in structures thatinvolve parallel conectedresistors, the total resistanceis not a simple sum of theresistance of individualresistors. The propert# that is

comon oth to the higherlevel and to the lo&er level is5resistitivit#5.*nd, in the non$serialresistors corpus the

difference in the total


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resistance is than+s tostructure. o&ever, this

resistor corpus have a aditivepropert#, a propert# that isonl# the sum of theproperties of parts' its mass.Onl# its mass do not depend

on its structure. ut, theprevious e"emple concern aset of o7ects that are of thesame +ind. If &e add toresistors also condensators,transistors and other parts,and tr# to erect a computer,than the properties ofcomputer &ill e onl# the

sum of the properties of itsparts) o& &ill &e addresistivity&ithcondensativity)*n other argument

antireductionist in spirit,


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comming from cognitiveneuroscience, is that of

uart9 and


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arori9ation, and dendriticarori9ation.

*nd, &ith man# empiricalevidencese.g., ourgeois etal. 1::/ the# sho& thatthere is no in the temporal

interval of development achangea sudenll#eliminator# selectivit# aspretend selectionism/ &ichsustain selectionism, on thecontrar# the# argue forneural constructivism, that isfor development as anincreasein comple"it#. *nd,

this is not in favour ofsimplicit#.o&ever, I thin+ that thedevelopmental properties of

mind should to depend also


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the rain structures form a

functional unit.

the mental states have t&o

parts'one invariant&ich isopen to stud# in relation&ith speciesE m&elt/ and

one variant.the specific contents of a

mental state at a particulartime point is dependent onmomentaril# active neural

connections &ithin thespecific net&or+ and onthe information encoded inthese connections.

the encoded information is

formed # the specificinput through sensor#organs/ and output themovements that are made/


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relationship in thehierarchical sistem.

On the other hand, et&eenthe neuronal level and theneuronal net&or+ levelthere is a difference that ispartial analogous &ith that

&ich there is et&een theatomic level and themolecular level, or et&eenthe macromolecular leveland the celular level, oret&een celular and tisularlevels . If thin+ing there isonl# at the conscious level,and the consciousness is a

propert# of a net&or+ &ichis situated at a superiorlevel of a hierarch#, thenthin+ing and animalsconsciousness cannot e

reducedlimited at


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properties of a singularneuron, as must to pretend

the neuron doctrine.Thecorrect tendenc# of presentis to recogni9e that there isa dependenc# et&eenorgani9ation of conscience

of animals and theorgani9ation of rain. Onthe other hand, the posilerelationships andcomunications et&eenneurons depend also on theproperties of neurons. ut,the properties ofinteractions et&een sets of

special organi9ed neurons,depend also on the gloalproperties of those sets,&ich depend partial on thespecific organi9ation of

those sets, and on the other


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influences from -J


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-J


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functioning, &ich form inits e"planation a sufficient

condition. On the otherhand, there e"ist aditiveproperties, as &ould e theph#sical mass of rain, &ichdo not depend on the

arrangement of the parts ofthe &hole. Thus, at differentlevels of organi9ational andfunctional comple"it# thereare emergent properties&ich cannot e founded atcertain too lo&er levels and&ich are not 7ust simplesums of the phenomena

from &ich the# supervene.For e"emple, chemists, atleast Del =e, admit theireduciilit# of higher levelsproperties li+e, the gloal

properties of cells/ to the


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lo&er level properties$$$#ireduciilit# I intended to

sa# that a cell is not 7ust a6uantit# of molecules ormacromolecules$$$in thefolo&ing &a#'

a molecule is a collection

of nuclei and electrons.

the &a# in &ich are put

together nuclei and

electrons matter, and theconnections chemicalonds or microforcefields/ determine theproperties of the &hole.

a complete description ofthe electrons and nuclei&ich form the parts of amolecule is not a completdescription of anindividual molecule,


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ecause the &hole realit#of a molecule include also

emergent properties.the properties of nuclei and

electrons and theirnumerical cantit#, theconstrains of universalenvironment plus theconte"tual constrains,determine all the t#pe ofintramolecular connections

and moleculararrangements.

the particular arrangement

of nuclei and electrons in amolecular structure tend to

satisf# the actions of forcefields.

ut the non$additive

properties of a molecule asa &hole depend also on itsspecific molecular


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structure, and the# neithercan e finded at level of

the properties of nucleus,neither are uni6uedeterminated # the theproperties of the nuclei orof the electrons.

a cell, is &hat it is, not

ecause it &ouldcorrespond to a metastaleconfiguration of atoms and

electrons # &ich it isconstituted, ut ecause itscoordinated activit#enteleh#/ is finali9ed,aimed at holding it alive in

a particular normal/ state.Del =e considers that, for acomplet description of anentit# &ich appear asunitar# at a certain level, &e

must to descrie the


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collection of all theprevious levels &ich appear

in a hierarch# of anorgani9ational andfunctional comple"it#, andthat at each previous levelthe information aout the

considered o7ect is partiallatent and indeterminated.In evolutionar# ps#cholog#it is considered that humanmind is the result of amodular organi9ation ofrain the modules of rainhave multiple speciali9edfunctions li+e' receptive

functions, motor functions,or for the formation and thecriticise of eliefs andthese modules areinterconnected. o&ever,

this modular vie& is


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critici9ed # neuralconstructivism. *ll these

the hierarch#, modularit#or net&or+s properties/ tendto falsif# the thesis thathuman mind or the integralconsciousness animal

e"perience can e reduced,or can e the product of asingle neuron, untill to thelevel of the singular neuron,as must to pretend theneuron doctrine. 4a#e,neuron can e an unit# ofJ


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sciences do not treats aoutthe properties of elementar#

particles, ut unit# must e,ho&ever, a comm$unit# ofthe particular sciences and aspecific unit# of science,not a hierarch# of levels of

e"istence or a histor# ofmolecular evolution fromelementar# particles andforces to the human societ#.o&ever, s#stemati9ationand clasification of sciencesare values from a rationalpoint of vie&inti++a andalonen, 1:::/.

The unit# of science shoulde an unit# not of all thelevels of materialorgani9ation, ut an unit# of

all the scientific products.


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Civen the great diversit# ofdomains of sciences and

scientific products, acontent unit# is lesse"pectale. On the otherhand, the scientific progresscan change the unit# of

science &hith time.Therefore, an regulativeidealideals as unit# ofscience is good.

As a kind of conclusion toantistructural ontology

uman rain is aconcretmaterialisation of anontologicallyposiles#stem.


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The set of all the posiles#stems and structures

depend on the properties ofontologicalprimitiveprimitives, ontheir numerical 6uantit#, onthe trans$conte"tual

conditions and on thespecific conte"tualconditions.

The properties of the&holes depend on theproperties of ontologicalprimitives, on the 6uantit#of the ontogical primitives

that constitue them, on theirstructures there e"istemergent properties.

*n ontologicall# posile

mind is not a product of


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human rain, ut it is ahumandiscovery.

The posile minds, theproperties of ontologicalprimitiveprimitives, thela&s of univers, are not

products of humanmindtheir e"istence is notconditionated # humanshumans cannot e"ist if the#&ould not e"ist the# hade"isted efore the lifeapparition and can to e"istif life &ould no longere"ist.

The ontological posiilit#of human rain isimplicated # the propertiesof ontological

primitiveprimitives, #


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their sufficient 6uantit# and# some specific conte"tual

conditions.(hat is ph#sicall# posiledo not dependat all on theimagination of rain, ut

onl# on the universal andlocal ph#sical constraints.

Implementation of a certainontologicall# posile mindma# e not independent ofhuman rain, ut &hat isontologicall# posile inever# conte"t in space and

time &ill never depend onhuman rain, ma#e.

uestion' (hat is thenecessar# level of univers)


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Is there somethingindestructile in nivers)

(e can to conceive the&hole space eing empt#.ut, &e cannot to imaginesomething aspatial.

Is there something moreprimitive than the empt#space in univers)

Is there something that&ould can affect the spaceitself)

...The matter densit# in

some region of space canincrease and decrease, utthe space itself cannot edestructed)...


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Jo&, consideredetimological#, philosoph#

have the sense of love of&isdom. In an analog &a#,&e can consider that theeternal regulative ideal ofphilosoph# is &isdom. (e

sa& that initial it &asconsidered that &isdominvolve the +no&ledge ofeing, ut then appeared anenrichment, preoccupationfor the +no&ledge ofecoming, then for the+no&ledge of humanit#,then for the +no&ledge of

the limits of the purereason, and so on. Thehistor# of philosoph# revealthat the term philosoph#have a d#namical intension

and e"tension. (hat &ould


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should to 7ustif# theinclusion or e"clusion of

certain conditions to theconceptual sense ofphilosoph# is theirconsistenc# &ith its finalideal' &isdom. This

historical development andenrichment of intension ande"tension of the love of&isdom ma+e us toanticipate that &isdom is anideal to&ard &e tend andorprogress, not a somethingpresent &ich &e &ouldneed 7ust to anali9e, li+e

rain. I thin+ that, rainitself is nothing more thanan mean &ich participate,# its cognitivescientificdevelopment, at the

reali9ation of this ideal


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result, and in conditions in&ich its functions or

capacities can e multipleimplementale, rain is notthe onl# mean or thenecessar# condition, theposiilit# condition of

&isdom. If those capacitiesof rain li+e control ofmovement, stimulusreception and codification,information processing,imagination, prolemsolving/ are reproductile# roots, then the neuronallevel is not a necessar#

condition for the posiilit#of mind.

The necessary anduniversal characteristics of

whatever posible mind are


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a set of capacities wich canbe implementated by

architectures wich can bedifferent both at theorganizational-cauzallevel(the same capacity cansupervene on different

structures that do notsimulate brain arhitecture)and at the implementationallevel.

*s loc+ said, 5it can eimplementated mecanical#,electrical#, iological#.5

rain is speciali9ed inreali9ation of certainfunctionfunctions li+e'

sensor# functions'


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a/ reception, codificationand processing of the light

6uanta flo&, in the limits ofsome fre6uencies./ reception, codification,processing of acusticairpertuations, in some limits.

c/ reception, codification,processing of the stimuluscoming from the interaction&ith macro7ects.

motor functions'for the reglation ofmovements'a/ for movementpreparation.

/ for the movement in thee"ternal environment.c/ for the internal motionsad7ustment as the motionsof heart, etc./


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for the codificated store of

informationscontents.

for the astract processing

of information.

for reasoning.

ut, the function or theultimate utilit# of all thisfunctions and sus#stems ofthe rain$s#stem is onl#one' survival and

optimi9ation of conditionsof life to ma"imi9e the6uantit# and 6ualit# oflifeor the preservation andthe improvement of life. *

eter visual s#stem can helpan animal to resolve somevital prolems. ut, theaccuteness of human visionis inferior &hith regard tothe vision accuteness of


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other animal visual s#stem.umans are superior to all

animals &ith respect toreasoning and astractprocessing ofinformationcontent. In thecase of a conscious

authonomous root thisfinal function or mission&ould can e conservationof its integrit#,information... I thin+ that,feelings have anunconscious ver# importantrole in animals motivation.The feelings of pain and

pleasure have afundamental role in themotivation of animals. Ifanimals &ould not feel pain&hen are damaged, ho&

much time &ould the#


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survive) If the# &ould notfeel the feeling of hungr#, if

the# &ould not feel an#pleasure in their life, &ouldsurvivethe# sufficient time toreproduce theirself) That is

&h# a root &hich &ouldhave the capacit# of feelingpain &hen is damaged&ould much resemle&hith animals, in itsehaviour. On the otherhand, feelings neither arenecessar# for survival, norare necessar# for

presevation of the integrit#of a root. The capacit# ofastract processing ofinformationcoming fromother sensorial s#stems/ and

the capacit# of reasoning


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can also reali9e the role orthe utlit# of feelings. *

root can e programated tohave an ultimate missionand to use all its cogntivepo&ers to reali9e it. ut inthis case its freedom &ould

e onl# relative...to means.ones, muscles, rains haveas an ultimate utilit# ormission to solve thepreservation andoptimi9ation of lifeprolem)(e can conceive for ever#

neuronal net&or+ of rainan artificial net&or+ &ich issuperior oth in 6uantit# ofits components and in itsstructural$functional,

organi9ational properties,


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that is in its performance.(hat is essentialis the final

utilit#, the set of actualstructures and the actualcapacities ma#e is not theest one. -an &e conceivesuperior alternative

capacities of mind) Is theastract principles of lifemultiple concreti9ale) Ifthe first person level of anindividual human cansupervene on differentmaterial implementations, ifits long therm memor#&ould can e transferred,

then the prolem ofimortalit# is multiplesolvale. o&ever, here Ihad made a grave, ut,unconscious intended eror.


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have the po&er to douleusself.


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Jo&, &hat is moreimportant -ognitive


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gerontology, some of m#anemies tried to e"tend in

mases hate against me #suggesting the feeling thatm# speech is againstprocreation.(hen I refered to one of

them, in m# previousversion, ne"t da#, somelocal political voicessuggested indirectl# that5some5 do not listedthegood things that had eenmaded locall# and that are adanger for the nationalinterestsK To e local

politicians so interested ofphilosoph#) Or had eenthe# helped # some friendsto see m# &or+s)This +ind of deceptive and

manipulative ehaviour is


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present in all the countriesof the &orld and its agents

are a danger for the eternalinterests of humanit#.4a#e, at the top of thepolitical level are not those&ho deserve to e there, ut

those who are the best indeceptive and manipulativeinteligence.

hort digression

* manipulative person caninhiit a person Lehaviour# fear/, #

e"citing the hate of a masM, # giving an ethical#negative misinterpretationof LEs ehaviour. To emore eficient, the

manipulative person can


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give an antinational orantihuman interpretation of

LEs ehaviour. !ver# humanaction can e antinational orantihuman misinterpreted# those &ho have adeceptive and manipulative

retoric. The deceptivel#$manipulative person canprepare the mases to e ver#agressive at some point oftime, progressivel#. It canprogress until the idea thatis more etter to die onesingle person than a nation.HesusK

Or if t&o person are incompetition for something,one of them, the deceptiveone can tr# to suggest tomases that its competitor

have some familiar dut# and


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is more etter for it to sta#home or something. Or, to

inhie the progress of itscompetitor a deceptiveperson ro its competitorintimate 7ournal from itsnaive adolescence and

treath him &ith itspulicit#.That is, thedeceptive persons use evenethics to misinterpret anddeceptivel# manipulatehumans. * little nation caneaffectede.g., roed/ # amore po&erful nation. *

religious representative cangive the folo&ing5e"planation5' 5this &aspermitted # god, due thedecrease of faith in the first

nation5. * political leader


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can provide this teleologicale"planation'5this to punish

the antidemocratic politics>practiced # the littlenation? and to stimulatereligious faith increase5. Ifit is not truth, ho&ever, &ill

e preventive.That is &h# ever# &rongaction can e deceptivel#sanctified.Or, another, a media agenc#present at the place of aninterinational conflictselect and transmit to othernations onl# those ne&s that

are in the favour of one partand is for the destruction ofother one and all this infunction of offers. *ll isnegociale, even the right to

+ill.


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*t least some politicalactions are the sulime

e"pression of the mostararian &ill. *nd thisposiilities can e infinitel#diversified, developed andmi"ed function of re6uests

and offers. (ith regard tothis t#pe of man, 5&e &illnever survive unless...5Mou do not thin+ that thispersons should e detected,discredited and eradicatedfrom leadership)

!eflection on the idea of

nothing and its rele"ancefor science and humanity

!n the reference of the idea

of nothing


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It seems to me that therecan e no asolute nothing.

*rguments'

an idea is not nothing

indeed, ever# posilecognitive s#stem ismaterial and, therefore, isa function of matter it issomething material' as amaterial state of a material

s#stem therefore, until &ehave an# idea, the asolutenothing cannot e.

on the other hand, if the

6uantit# of energ# from

universe is constant, thatis, if energ# cannot edestro#ed, ut onl#transformed from a state inan another state, than outer

nothing cannot e,


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therefore asolute nothingcannot e, that is nothing

oth inside and outside,cannot e. If the empt#space is indestructile,than the same it holds.

!n the content of the ideaof nothing

# our e"perience ofrelative nothinge.g., anempt# o" or # thee"perince of relativedestruction/ &e can arrive,# mental operations, at the

idea of asolute nothing, #e"tension. Or # thin+ing ata continuousl# reduction ofa cognitive content of anideae.g., &e can arrive

until the idea of 0/. *s &e


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can arrive at the idea ofinfinit...That is, #

increasing continuousl#someho& a cognitivecontent.

ut, an# idea in order to e

understooded should tohave a content. Thus, ideaof nothing cannot eunderstooded &ithoutstarting or relating it &ithsomething positive content.0 is understooded relative to6uantit#. The empt# can eunderstooded onl# relative

to matter or ph#sical andspace.

That is &h#, the idea ofnothing have, ho&ever, a

content...it is not merel#


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negation, in addition is thenegation of all that is.

On the other hand, &e mustto understand that the ideaof nothing is somethingmaterial, is a material state

of a material s#stem.

Onl# together &ith apositive content this idea isinteligile.N single have not an#meaning.

!ven single, N have a

content, although not ameaningful content.

Therefore, the idea ofnothing does not involve an

ideatic nothing.


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o&ever, &e can thin+

someho& at the idea ofasolute nothing positivecontent, ut this idea is notcontent$empt#. (e cananticipate the idea of

asolute nothing, ut &ecannot arrive to it...4# fundamental idea is that

there can be no an absoluteempty-content idea

ut, content can to comefrom man# sensorial

s#stems, not onl# fromvisual s#stem.

*nd, man# animals havesensorial contents.


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I thin+ that, there areanimals &ith etter senses

than humans...

That is &h# mentalopertationsprocessingscomputations

are ver# important.

*s &as argued # uart9and


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Therefore, a depeerunderstanding of everithing

involve morelogicalscientificrationalcoherenceof all that isfrom ottom to top.

The nothing cannot increasethe inteligiilit# of science.I fear that idea of nothing isa sterile one.

4etaph#sicschemistr#.4etachemistr#iolog#.

Jeither science nor animal

cognition, evolutionaril#spea+ing, do not egin &iththe nothing$content, ut&ith some content, at least asensorial content.


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(e do not start fromnothing$content, ut &e

anticipate this idea startingfrom some content.

4ore than simplit# &e&ant inteligiilit#, and this

involve not onl# isolatesprimitives, ut alsorelations, structures,processes etc.

(e should to arrive not tothe idea of nothing, ut tothe coherenceof the &holee"istence...to the

understandingof all that is.*nd this is not than+s to theidea of nothing.

umans and the &hole

e"istence &ill never


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participate to&ard idea ofnothing.

Jeither had &e started, nor&e should to arrive at theidea of nothing.

(e should to arrive at theunderstandig of all that is,all that &as, all that &ill eand finall# to understandingall that can e and all thatcannot e to an ultimateut coherent understandingof all ...and to the discover#of those posiities that &ill

ma+e &e happ#. Jot tonothing.Jeither simplit# noreconom# is our ultimate andnecessar# scientific and

philosophical aims. #


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science &e &ant primarl#understanding and secondl#

happiness. The latherinvolve e"tension of life6uantit# and 6ualit#. Thelather involve 7usticeGloveGpeaceGfreedomGpo&

er and ma#e others.

Towards a unification byaim

(e oserve that, at thesame time &ith thee"tension of science, art andculture domains it is posile

the e"tension of domains ofphilosoph#, for e"empleapparition of philosoph# ofgerontolog#. o&ever, theenrichment of the content of

the term philosoph# ma# e


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initiated even from theinside of philosoph# itself.

The progress in philosoph#can result in multiple &a#s'

# development of some

ancient fundamental6uestions and ans&ers.

# aandonment of some

theses, directions &ich hadeen proved untrue,

ine"acte or improper.# addition of ne& topics

supervened # philosophicintuition and reflection.

*nd, ma# e, ever# domainof realit# or even theposiilit# can to ecome ano7ect for philosophicalreflection, ut much morethose themes &ich are more


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compatile &ith itsfundamental philosoph#cal

ideal' &isdom. =easoningthin+ing, and its forms, isthe necesar# condition ofhuman &isdom, ut it is notenough. (hat it can e

&isdom) Or, at least, ingreat lines, &ith &hat it isincompatile) (isdomcannot mean ignorance,therefore it is compatile&ith cognition. o&ever,&isdom cannot mean an#+no&ledge' philosoph# isnot identical neither &ith

science, nor &ith religion orart. *nd, some propero7ects for cognitivephilosoph#, had eensho&ed efore . On the

other hand, &isdom cannot


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mean insuficientinteligence, therefore it

must involve alsointeligence. In asolute,inteligence involve thecapacit# of solvingprolems, indifferent of

their importance or valuesfor humans. ut, inaddition, &isdom should toinvolve also the evaluationof the fundamental functionor pragmatic utilit# ofinteligence in acord &iththe fundamental needs ofioeings. Thus, &isdom is

compatiile &ith theconscious attempt to resolvethe folo&ing prolems'

survival adaptation have a

value onl# as a meanto


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survival, not an asolutevalue sometimes is more

&iser the adaptation ofunivers to the needs ofhumans.

optimi9ation of life

conditions.

e"tension of life span.

eradication of senescence, if

it &ill e posile.

and progressing in this

sense &e tend to&ards anideal limit' imortalit# andhappiness.

In addition to inteligence,&isdom must to involve thecapacit# of correctappreciation of the possesormost important aims, for

long term. I propose the


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folo&ing measure la& , as apotential iouniversal la&

of &isdom'

The wisdom of creatures,either at individual level orat species level, is directly

proportional to the"uantity, "uality and thebalance between "uantityand "uality of their life inthe history of univers$however, considering thedificulty of their conte%tualconditions of life.

This la& is &ell$groundedon a supposition andappreciation of &hat is and

&hat should to e the final


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aims of allcreatures>continuousl#

survival, conservation anddevelopment of life?.

For 3," miliards of #ears,the final sense or utilit# of

most od#$environmentinteractions eitherconscious or unconscious,of +no&ledge, of thenavigation &ithinenvironment, of the politicalorgani9ations and actions&as the increase of the6uantit# and the 6ualit# of

life, at least for actor. #6ualit# of life I mean all thegood mental pleasuresli+ethose related to freedom,7ustice, cognition, love,

non$deceptive pleasures


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etc./ . I thin+ thatphilosoph# neither is

deceptive inteligence nor ismanipulative inteligence.(isdom is consistent &ith7ustice, ut all the humansin &orld tr# to impose

theirself # ever# imoralmeans. !ver#one aspire tomanipulate human mases.For most of humans&isdom is relative to thepo&er to gain man#. 4an#is the ultimate ethics ofmost humans.

Jo&, previousconsiderationsthe goodones/ can function asalternative conditions &ichenrich the conceptual sense

of philosoph# term. Or, the#


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can susume the alternativeconditions. If man+ind

&ould e suddenl#threatened # a naturaldisaster, as a collision &ithan celestial od# or # ane& glacial era, all the

human +no&ledge &ould eutili9ed as a mean tosolving the prolemaim ofsurvival and unlimitedconservation of life. Inrelation &ith the other od#parts, rain have a role ofcontrol, orientation,prolemsli+e survival,

reproduction and otherinvolved # happiness/solving, ut in relation &ithlife is onl# a mean themental life of rain depend

on the life, the state and the


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functional relation et&eenits neuronal, glial/cells

and survival andconservation of other od#parts cells depend, at leastin part, on the raininteligence there is an

interdependence here.uman mind have asfundamental tac+, or,

the &spirit& or the& finality&of brain is the conservationand the optimization of life.

From this perspective, of

ma"imal e"tension of the6uantit# of life and in annon$suficient measure of its6ualit#, I &ish to dra&atention on the importance,

ecause it is compatiile


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&ith the iouniversal&isdom la&, of

gerontolog#, and to theposiilit# of a philosoph# ofgerontolog#.

2.#undamental

gerontologicalconsiderations on aging

In &hat it &ill folo&, I &antto present a minimalconsideration on someimportant aspects ofgerontolg#.

2.1.$efinition ofsenescence

!remia consider that,

5senescence is apparently


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the spontaneous process ofprogressively deterioration

of life structures, releasedat the molecular level,starting with the firstmoment of this structuresand having as result the

permanent reduction ofbiological performances, aswell as the increase of therisk of life cesation as aresult of all environmentalaggressions kinds5.>!remia, p.38?/

2.2.%n the process ofsenescence


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progressivity' &ich suppose

that the lesions &ich are at

ase of senescence areacumulated &ith time theaffection of amacromolecule isspontaneous, utaccumulation of thislesions it is producedgradual# and, therefore,progressivel#,

regressivel#.to be intrinsic' are e"cluded

those lesions &ich comefrom e"ternal causes asdiseases.

to be no%ious.

2.3.The #orms of theTime Pressure


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2.. &'planatory(Theoretic Aspects of

enecence

In his 5'n attempt at a

rational clasification oftheories of aging5,4edvedev estimated thenumer of theories &iche"plain aging toappro"imatel# threehundred. This is a part ofthemcf. !remia/'

1. Theories of geneticalprogram

1.1. The hypothesis ofmorphogenetic active

program$ &ich release the


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death of animal at shorttime after the end of

reproduction act at speciesas somon, marsupial mouseetc./ or at short time aftercertain modifications ofenvironmental properties

da# shortening, droughtetc./.

1.2. The hypothesis ofpostreproductive suicideprogram$ most often #non$feeding at someinsects, nematods etc./.

1.3. The hypotheses ofmorphogenetical passiveaging'

1.3.0.The hypothesis of

aging as a continuation of


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differentiation, as asupradifferentiation or as a

increase of genesrepression.

1.3.1. The hypothesis ofaging as a

disdifferentiation withgenes repressiondisappearance anddisregulation of se"uentialtranscription.

1.3.2.The hypothesis ofaging as an efect ofincomplete repression of

development program.

1..The hypotheses of thee%istence of some specificor non-specific genes of

senescence.


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1..0.The hypothesis of

non-balance betweenmutator and antimutatorgenes action.

1..1. The hypothesis of

some pleiotropic geneswich act in the late life.

1..2. The hypothesis of theprogrammed synthesis ofsome mitotic inhibitors orof some inhibitors oftranscription andtranslation.

1..3. The hypothesis ofsome mutations wichaccellerate agingtheoriesinspirated from human the


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sindroms of prematureaging/.

1.B. The hypotheses of thee%istence of some longevityspecific genes.

1.B.0.ypotheses based onthe identification of somegenes wich e%tend the lifeof some inferior eukariotes.

1.B.1.ypotheses wiche%plain the human superiorlongevity comparativelywith the primates by some

additional genes that havehumans.

1.B.2.ypotheses wichhave as starting point the

identification of mammals


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longevity genes with thehelp of selection by

hibridization.

1.B.3.ypothesis of thee%istence of some geneticalprograms for correction

wich are released only ingerminal cells.

1..ypotheses about thee%istence of somebiological clocks.

1..0.ypothesis of thee%istence of temporal

genes, hypothesis ofgradual loss of temporalorganization, hypothesesbased on the connectionsbetween senescence and

biorhythms.


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1..1.ypothesis of *'

shortening in postmitoticalcells.

1..2.ypothesis of *'repetitive se"uences

methylation.

1..3.ypothesis of limitedpotential of cellulardivisions.

1...ypothesis of thecellular 5capitulation5.

1..B.ypothesis abouthipotalamic neuroendocrincenters.

2. Theories of the first

lesions


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2.0.ypothesis of wear by

work.

2.1.ypothesis ofautointo%ication.

2.2. Theypothesis of thesuffocation by wasteproducts.

2.3.Theypothesis ofcalcificationcalcifila"iei/.

2.. Theypotheses of thediminution of the co-

ordination grade betweenthe metabolic pathways.

2.B.The ypothesis of theerors in the protein

synthesis.


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2.. Theypothesis of the

secondary efects of theintermediar metabolits.

2.;. The theory of the freeradicals.

2.8. The theory of thethermic microshocks.

2.:.The theory of somaticmutations.

2.10.The theory of entropy.

2.11. The theory of thedeuterium accumulation.

2.12. The theory of theaccumulation of some

metabolits isomers.


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2.13. The theory of the

metallic ions accumulation.

2.1. The theory of theradiations senectogenefects.

2.1B. Theories of lesions #stress.

3. Theories ased on theanal#sis of senescencemanifestations at themolecular, cellular andorganic level

3.0.Theories of thestructural staili9ation andof the macromolecularintercconection.


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3.1. Theories ased on thecalitative modifications of

protein # post$translationalcauses.

3.2. Theories ased on thecantitative changes of

proteins.

3.3. Theories ased onmodifications in proteinios#nthesis.

3.. Theories ased onmodifications of structureof nucleus acids.

3..0. #pothesis of DJ*chain rea+ings.

3..1. #pothesis of DJ*

metilation diminuation.


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3..2. #pothesis of metalic

ions &ich are connected&ith DJ*.

3..3. #pothesis ofmodifications in DJ*

proprocessing.

. &"olutionary Theories

.0. Theories of rate ofliving.

.1. Theories ased on thecorrelations et&een

reeding rate and agingrate.

.2. Theories ased on thecorrelation et&een


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development lenght and rateof aging.

.3. Theories ased on thecarrelations et&een od#si9es and life span.

.. Theories ased on thecorrelations et&een somemodifications at molecularlevel and the life span.

.B. Theories ased on thecorrelations et&een somemodifications at geneticlevel and rate of aging.

.. Theories ased on thecorrelations et&een somemodifications at celularlevel and longevit#.


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.;. Theories ased on thecorrelations et&een tisular

regeneration performancesor of celular proliferationand life span.

B. Theories of certain

particular tissues aging

B.0. Theor# of the colesterolin aterosclerosis.

B.1. Theor# of the proteinmodification in cristalinaging.

B.2. Theor# of eritrocitesaging.

B.3. Theor# of tooths&earing.


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;. nificator# Theories'

$ &ich tr# to comineelements from differentgroups of theories fore"emple, so called 5net&or+theor# of aging5 elaorated

# o&ald and ir+&oodin 1::, &ich 7oin thetheor# of erors &ith thetheor# of free radicals.

The prolem &ich is put ingerontolog# is that ofdistinction et&een efectsand causes.The main

6uestion &ill e al&a#s thefolo&ing'

is the incriminatedmodification really a first

cause of senescence or is


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only the result of someemergent changes from a

more fundamental level)>a#flic+, 1:83?/.

!remia had affirmed that5most gerontologists

consider that senescence is,most probable, amulticauzal andmultifactorial phenomenon,at wich realization takepart many biophysical,biochemical and biologicalmechanisms. +ach type ofcell, tissue, organ or

organism have its propertrajectory of aging.ellular senescentprocesses are at the base ofglobal phenomenon of

aging, but they form, at the


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same time, the componentelements of a an interactive

superior hierachicalnetwork of wich integrity isdeteriorated with time.There are senescentprocesses wich affect

systems of differenthierachicalgrades5>!remia, p.12?/>italics are of mine?.

*s &e have seen efore, inthe 4edvedevE rationalclassification, most theoriesof senescence indicated

different factors &ithsenectogen efect. It ispossile that certain factorsto e of non$first order.Then &ould e posile an

e"planator# reductionism at


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some firstfinal senectogenfactors) ut, the process of

senescence is released onl#from the fundamental>ph#sical, chemical? levelto&ards macroscopic,tissular levels) There is no a

idirectionalit#) %s#chicalstress>at the sistemic,emergent, macroneronallevel? &ould cannot affectsenectogenl# the individualcells level) Or the humanetiological and therapeuticignorance >I thin+ at thepo&er of present$da#

gerontolog# to eradicatesenescence? &ould cannotta+e a place, as a condition,in a rational, completee"planation of human

aging) (e see that, the


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senescence conditionscannot e found in totatlit#

at an fundamentalontic>ph#sical$chemical,atomic$molecular? level,ecause cognition andhuman ignorance are states

&ich depend on thed#namical interactions inthe space phases of acellular ensemle.Therefore, a completee"planation of senescence,&ich have to e"pose all theconditions of senescence,cannot e a reductionistic

one, ecause humanignorance is a cognitiveinsufficienc# and consciouscognitive level is anemergent one. *nd, if

ps#chical stress ma#


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influence the speed or therate of aging, than again the

reductive e"planation isincomplete. umanconscience is not to efound at the singularintraneuronal level. On the

other hand, senectogenfactors can e othintrinsec> for e"emple,replicative senecence? ande"trinsec >for e"emple,reactive species of o"igen=O


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T1 or T2 or ...or

TJJapro".300/L is a human

L &ill ecome specificall#old in a specific time, &ith aspecific rate sure, if it &ill

not die ecause of certainaccident or incuralediseases/

&e &ould ma+e a non$validreasoning, ecause, on theone hand,

&e have not ademonstration of

senescence eradicationimposiilit#, on the otherhand, a good e"planationof human aging must toinclude all the causes of

aging in order to 7ustif# all


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the efectsmanifestationsof aging. * single cause of

aging that human od#cannot neutrali9e it issufficient to produceaging, ut a different formaf aging, a different rate of

aging, a differentlongevit#. ut, there is amea rate of human aging&ich determ a meanhuman longevit#.

*nd if the eradication ofaging is not imposile, thanaging is a contingentfenomenon and previous

conclusion is not necesar#,therefore the reasoning isnon$valid. s hope is thathuman aging can and &ille eradicated, ma"imal

minimi9ed, or at least, ver#


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non$necesar#, even if forhuman its eradication &ill

e for a long time or foreverimposile, than thereasoning conclusion$prediction is non$necesar#or contingent. *nd

therefore, the reductivee"planation of aging isincomplete. ut, even ifhuman aging &ould eineradicale, thee"planation of specific ofhuman aging traiector#&ould re6uire aconsideration of human

od# arhitecture, of itsstructural and functionalspecificit#. Ceneral cellularsenescence &ouldindiferentl# e"plain the

aging of all mamals, ut


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there are certain diferences&ich cannot e e"planated

&ithout refering to specialstructural or arhitecturalconditions. On the otherhand, no& humans canmodulate in some limits the

rate of aging, and in thiscase the pro$longeviveactions are initiated from amacrolevel. If &e &ant anunificator# theor# of aging,it must e a general theor#or a dis7untive one ut, atheor# &ich unif# all thetheories of aging # a

dis7unction &ould unif#factors &ich are at diferentlevels of organi9ation.*ging also can econceived as failure of

s#stems, transiogenicall#.


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From a philosophical pointof vie&, &ich tend to the

asolutenecessar# andsufficient conditions/, theseare good tendencies.


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!remia have &rote thatanemona, a pluricelular

organism, do not ageecause it continuousl#replace its unicelullar parts.


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perspective &ich 6uest for acomplete e"planation of

human aging &ill e ver#minimal and insuficient.ut, &e must evaluatetheories also from the pointof vie& of solving the

prolem of eradication ofhuman aging. It seem that asuch general theor# of aging&ould offer the mostrational help to&ardcreating a fundamentalstrateg# for eradicating ofhuman aging. ut, a generaltheor# of aging cannot

sustantiate a completee"planation of humanaging and, if that theor#cannot 7ustif# all the aspectsof human aging, than the

strateg# &ich is ased on it


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cannot lead to eradicatingof human aging. On the

other hand, those la&s ofnature, li+e termod#namicsla&s, that e"plain the failureof nonliving things, cannote"plain or are 6uasi$

irelevant for e"planation ofliving things. @iving thingscannot leave in state ofminimal entrop#Oe"le/. Ifthe la&s of nature thate"plain the progressivedeterioration of non$livingthings are truthl# irrelevantto the e"planation of the

aging of living things, thancan e a general theor# ofaging) If the ans&er is #es,in &hat sense) * suchtheor# must e a cover#

theor#, not general. It must


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must to refer at a formalgeneralit#, or formal

astractivit#. (e must toconceive the generalconcept or idea of aging asan progressive, cumulativeprocess of deterioration

&ich can e initiated othfrom the inside and theoutside of od#. The formof senescence traiector# ofdiverse o7ects, or the theirsenescence rates are notidentical ut similar. Thosecharacters of process ofaging that are proper onl# to

living things, li+eno"iousness or thediminuation of iologicalperformances, cannot echaracteristics of the

universal form aging. Onl#


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the progessiveness of adeterioration can constitue

the universal form of aging.

Jo& I &ant to return to theprevious reasoning$prediction$e"planation. For

the conclusion to form anecesar# conse6uence, thepremises must to form asufficient condition. ut,even if the theories from thefirst premise are all true, &edont +no& if the# form ornot form a complete causale"planation sure, the causal

e"planation is not acomplete e"planationecause it do not see thepermissiilit# conditions ofaging. *nd, it seem that the

previous theories form a


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complete causal e"planationof aging, ut the premises

of e"planans are notsufficient to determine theconclusion as a necessar#conse6uence$prediction.ecause the conditions are

not sufficient e"planans donot contain a e"plicitcondition aout theimposiilit# of eradicationof aging. If the argument&ould contain a conditionaout the asoluteimposiilit# of eradicationof aging or aout the

imposiilit# to arrive at thisresult, # the progress ofscience, in a given period oftimein the life of L/, thanthe prediction &ould folo&

&ith necessit#. o&ever,


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our reasoning &as formedin an asolute form, in the

conditions is not estalisheda temporal interval. Thatgloal aging mustcorrelate


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formall# a pair * %rem,%remP%/for it

claims %rem to e true and%rem P % to e correct... .%rem is the descriptiveand%remP% the inferentialpart of *5


116/160

or antiaging interventionsthan it is relative to some

conditions.


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&ich &ould live eternal# #its proper energetical

production &ould resemle&ith a perpetum moile.ut, the atempt toreducelimited thee"planation of aging at a

ph#sical process as entrop#&as criticated. In this sense,Oe"le, a specialist, considerthat 5


118/160

Thermod#namic entrop#must not e confused &ith

informational entropies, i.e.,comple"it# measures. iv/Jone of them is sufficientto e"plain iologicalorgani9ation. The same

applies to the e"planation ofdisorgani9ation in aging.Indeed, oth t#pes ofentrop# ma# decrease &ithage. v/ Theories thate"plain aging as a decliningse6uence of minimalentrop# production states,are not &ell founded in

thermod#namics.Organisms do not live instates of minimal entrop#production. Decliningentrop# production is a

conse6uence ut not the


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cause of an age$dependentdecline in metaolic

activit#. *ging is a functionof self$maintenance &hichvaries et&een species and&as set # evolution ut not# thermod#namic la&s. vi/

The effect of free energ#availailit# on aging is nottransmitted # entrop#. vii/The overall entrop#production of an organismindicates its activit#, ut isnot a useful measure ofefficienc#. The %O$ratiorate of *D%

phosphor#lation per o"#genconsumption/ does notseem to declinesignificantl# &ith age. viii/*ging involves all aspects

of life. Jeither life nor


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aging can e e"plainedsufficientl# # a single state

parameter such as entrop#.4inute changes in aregulator# part ma# causelarge, positive or negativechanges in entrop# and

entrop# production of theentire s#stem. i"/ioenergetics, i.e., theresearch on regulation ofand # free energ#, shoulde fit into the frame&or+ ofemergent properties of anorganism. Then it &illcontriute to the

understanding of aging5.*nd, I thin+ that, even if theuniversal spatialac+ground, the 6uasi$elementar# ph#sical

properties, alltogether &ith


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micro an macro forcesinfluence, &ould determine

the fundamental la&s ofmatter compositionalit#,and, therefore, &ould lie atase of all forms of posilematerial e"istence, and if

microscopic events &ouldlie at the ase ofmacroscopic entropicprocesses, if entrop# &ouldhave a fundamentalinfluence to&arddeterioration of allmicroscopic e"istents,ho&ever e"planation of a

specific deterioration ofcertain class of e"istents,aging of living sistems,&ould involve alsoconditions related to their

specific od# arhitecture,


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and this &ould mean that,real#, entrop# neither have a

sufficient and ma# eneither a necessar# role inthe ioaging e"planation.*ppear the folo&ing6uestion' Ereall# living

organism cannot elude theprocess of entrop#)E orEhave entrop# a necessar#senectogen efectinfluencein ever# moment of life)E *tleast, at the age of reeding,it seem that entrop#, in thesense ofdisorgani9ationdisorder

increasing, have not po&erand than it is not a asoluteinevitale fenomentherefore the necessar#condition of human aging

must to e at a more


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specific level. The causes ofhuman aging are oth

e"ternalfor, e"emple, =O


124/160

posiilit# condition.o&ever, human aging is

not a simple or general formof progressive deteriorationit involve that some cells toarrive non$replicative stage,some cells must to

acumulate certainsustanceslipofuscin,neurofirilar# tangles,senile pla6ues and others/,deterioration of certainpath&a#s for signaltransmission the humanaging is more than the sumof celular senescence, ut

the interneuronal path&a#sare also parts of od#...human aging is not a simpledeterioration oforgani9ation or is not 7ust

this, it is a progressive


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decrease of functionalcapacities &ich ma#

supervene not onl# onorgani9ationaldeteriorationfor e"emple,lipofuscin acumulation or6uantitative neuronal loss/.

* part of aging superveneon organi9ationaldeterioration and other partscan depend on a functionaldecrease &ich isdeterminated not onl# ofod# micropartsorgani9ation deterioration.(e must to reduce death to

a form of destruction' lifedestruction, at least at the&hole od# level. *nd, &emust to reduce aging at adecrease process, it is a

regressive unidirectional


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change of od#. *ging is aspecific change at a higher

level &ich ma#emergesupervene onmultiple microchanges,&ich are not all of adeterioration character.


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shoretening/? , theinsufficience eficienc# of

some preventive, protective,reparative mechanismsli+ethose again =O< attac+,&ich are antio"idantsustances li+e' tocoferols,


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causes and &ath are itscondition of posiilit#) In

other cases &e +no& aoutthe ine"istence of somemechanism for regulation ofsome processes e.g.,celullar senescence,

apopthosis, arteriescalcification>Hudit, 2003(ic+ et al 2003?/ of &ichaction is senectogen on longterm. ut, is the eradicationof aging prolem suitale toe solutionated at thegenetic level) I dont elive.The solution of this prolem

involve thin+ing andcooperation of someresearchers, consciousinteligences. o&ever,rain arhitecture specificit#

is partial genetical#


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determinated >Delacour1::8?/, and therefore,

certain cognitive capacitiesli+e thin+ing po&er/ andtheir limits are at leastpartial genetical#predestinated, ut not

forever and the solution tothe aging eradication is notinorn.5 In thenaturenurture deate thatstill pervade neuroscience,Ca99aniga argues in favorof nature, # emphasi9ingthat nurture alone is notenough to shape rain

function. e advocates aprominent role formodularit#, adaptivespeciali9ation andgeneticall# driven

mechanisms in the


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ontogeneticph#logeneticdevelopment of the

rain5Tei"eira 1::8/.o&ever, I thin+ that themost general ehaviouralactions and attitudes ofindividual life form have

formed a special9ation thisspeciali9ation ma#ehave determined a minimalchange at the genetic levelma#e some geneticalchanges due to continuosl#learning have accumulatedver# slo&l# until theapparition of...species. oth

genetic factors and nurturefactors should e involvedin the e"planation of humanmind development. ut,&ith regard to ontogenetic

development of mind, I


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# a conscious inteligence,li+e a race car. There is no

an e"ternal entit# &ich iscall evolution or naturalselection &ich act as aph#sical force on the livingorganisms. o&ever, there

&as and there is a fight forsurvival, reproduction,adaptation, domination,fame, # force, deceptiveconditioning or # a sutleps#chological coercition.*daptation have not anindependent of conte"tvalue, it have value onl#

&hen is necessar# forsurvival or for progress.%rogress itself is re6uiredonl# &hen is necessar# forsomething, at least for

happiness. The previous


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prolems can e solved inmultiple &a#s, &ich had

maded posile theappearance of certainhaits$speciali9ations$specifications &ich laterhave geneticall# preserved.

If certain species havesurvived until no&, thismean that the# have somecapacities &ich, on the onehand, advantage theirsurvival posiilit#, on theother hand, advantage themmuch more in solving of

some fundamentalprolemsfor e"emple,reproduction, adaptation,control and manipulation ofminds, comunication, social

organi9ation and orhers/.


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Jood# have selected thesecapacities, ut the# had

advantaged much moresome species &ichconse6uentl# have imposedthemselves in numer, fight,adaptation, reproduction

etc. 4a# e, the mostimportant value$capacit# forevolution is inteligence, andthe diferences are graduall#.(h# isnEt od# endo&ed&ith mechanisms &ich topermite it to remain forever#oung) ecause in late lifethere is no fight or interest

for imortalit# or for non$aging) Jot at all.

I consider that apoptosisand celular senescence are

not present in human


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of aging origin. Inconformit# &ith

evolutionar# theories(illiams 1:B/, senecenceis genetical#predeterminated andsenescence efectors genes

&as selected # evolution,# an accidental processnondirectionted to&ardaging per se, ecause, onthe one hand, the#advantage theirreproductive activit#, on theother hand, the force ofnatural selection decrease

after the post$reproductiveage. Therefore, inconformit# evolutionar#theories, the root$cause ofaging is natural selection,

that is selection resulted


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after the fight, competition,for survival and for the

e"tension of terrestrialregions domains and ofalternative species. Thisfight had as a conse6uencethe disparition of some non$

senescent species, though itis not +no& evidence that&ould e ever e"istedsuperior species, li+emammals, non$senescent,and aout fact that the#&ould dominated # thesenecent species. ut, theree"ist also thin+ers &ich

thin+ differentl#. Thus,-lar+ conider that recentgenetic anal#sis aout thesenescence fundamentalmechanisms, and of genes

&ich underdetermine them,


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are remarcal# similar inever# eu+ariot organism

studied, &ich is hardl#consistent &ith an independacumulation of mutations&ith harmful character inlate life of eu+ariots

evolutionar# histor#. -lar+propose, in the place ofgradual# accidental#accumulation though theig periods of time, thethesis in conformit# &ith&ich almost ever# geneticelements of senescence$$$genes &ich determine

senescencesenescenceeffector genes/ and those&ich it opose to their efectssenescence resistorgenes/$$$have een

estalished after short time,


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research must e guided,organi9ated to&ard

realisation of this aim. utit is needed a firststrategical idea concerningthe reali9ation orprogression to&ard

eradication of aging. I thin+that &e can divide the agingposiilit# conditions in t&osets'

those aging posiilit#

conditions concerningimperfection of

od#Emechanisms forregeneration, prevention oflesionsfor DJ* andmemrane damage due=O< etc./, or concerning

the asence of some


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inerent mechanisms &ichis also necessar# for

radical eliminaton ofaging. (e can call thisconditions as aging firstorder posiilit# conditions.

and those conditions &ich

concern our ignoranceaout the all aspects ofe"planation of aging,orand our insufficience

cooperation, coordonation,organi9ation of researchto&ard aging eradication.

(e need a ver# astract, ut

necessar# and sufficient toeradicate human aging,strategical principle.

I thin+ that a posile

strateg# &ould can e


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grounded on the folo&ingpragmatic regulative

principle'

+limination of conditions ofaging posibility implieseradication of the process

of aging.

ut, eradication of thecondition of posiilit# ofaging can e multiplerealisalee.g., free9erreduce efects of aging etc./.

From the set of all posile

&a#s of eradication of allthe conditions of posiilit#of aging &e must to selectonl# those &a#s &ich donot stop life, if there are

such &a#s.


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(e should to conceive the

conditions of the posiilit#of aging in relations &iththe complet set of thefundamental causes ofaging.

*s an inteligile e"emple,the# are those mecanisms,factors, conditions, devicesor something L &ichpermitto Mfundamental causes ofaging, e.g., =O


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manifestations and causalfactors there is a

disconcertant diversit# andcomple"it#. !ach cell t#pehave its proper agingtraiector#>!remia 1::;,p.12?/. o&ever, all cell

t#pes have their first originin an one single egg cell.First egg cell divissiongenerate a celularmultiplicit#. !ach cell havea finit numer of the samegenes. # repression ande"pression certain genesdifferentiate the organism

different sus#stems cells'nervous s#stemEs cells,muscleEs cells, oneEs cellsetc. On the other hand, allcelullar t#pes >pro+ariots

and eu+ariots? have ceratin


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common features' celullarmemrane, DJ*,

c#toplasm, and riosomes.!ven et&een humanod#Es cells there are somesimilarities. For e"emple,neurons have in common

&ith other cells of humanod# some capacities orprocesses'

celular memrane.nucleus.

genes.

c#toplasm.

mitochondria.

celular organeles.

protein s#nthesis.

energ# production.


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On the fundamentalmechanisms of senescence,

!remia select the folo&ingtheories'

theor# of senescence as a

result of geneticinstailit#. ut &ath arethe posiilit# conditions ofgenetic instailit#. It isposile someho&

eliminate them) Or &oulde posile to repair thelesions of genetic level.

theor# of senescence #

somatic mutations.

theor# of senescence as aresult of the deregulationof transcription andtranslation processes.(hat are the posiilit#conditions of this


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deregulation. It is posilefor us to control this

regulation)theor# of senescence due

acumulation of metaolic&aste products.

theor# of senescence #mitochondrialdeterioration.

theor# of senescence #&ater loss.

o&ever, aging at thehighest level, ehavioural,depend on the aging ofdifferent organs ut it is

posile that the aging ofeach organ depend not onl#on the its celullarsenescence ut also # theother organs aging and the

organ aging depend also #


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its 6uantit# and itsstructuralfunctionald#nami

cal properties. That is, agingaspects are oth general andspecific.

4a#e, a strategical plan

&ould to&ards eradicationof aging have to start &ith

investigation of ehavioural

manifestations of aging, asage$dependent decline ofcognitive performance, atthe all organs and s#stems-J


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aging at celular, in general,is not enough, tough

research of aging and itsposiilit# conditions atgeneral structural$functional celular patern isnecessar#, ut is

sufficient) There are someresearchers that e"plainthe decline of cognitiveperformance, as memor#,not # loss of neuronalcells or # ma7ordeterioration of neuronalproperties ut #deterioration of certain

signaling path&a#s isorganism more than cells)it ma#e that path&a#s arenot made of cells) Thisfirst step &ould ma+e

posile the ne"t step.


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estalishing of aging causes

at each level' the generalcauses of celularsenescence, special causesof special cells senescence,the causes of aging at theorganic or s#stemic level,the causes of aging at theinters#stemic orinterorganic level, causes

of aging at ehaviourallevel. *ging must todepend oth ofinterdependence et&eenorgans, s#stems, and also

on the specificit# of cells,on the specificit# of organarhitectures, and on thecertain posiilit#conditions. It is posile

that at each level to e also


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posiilit# conditions ofaging)

estalishing of agingposiilit# conditions ateach level &here the#e"ist.

eradication of agingposibility conditions ateach level, in the limits ofposiilit#.

!radication of aging involveeither perfecting of humanod#Es structural$functionalmodel or utili9ation of sometherapeutic tactics to

compensate, from outside, itsimperfections. It is posilethat elimination of agingmanifestations to e multiplesolvaile. 4# hope is that

human &isdom and


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loc+. J.''ntireductionismlaps /ack, internet..

-lar+ =. (.'0eflections onan unsolved problem ofbiology1 evolution of agingan death, internet.

-oltescu, A.' 2002, 2storiafilosofiei, !dituraniversitatii de Aest 1:00Timisoara, =omania.

Del =e C.' 1::8,!ntological tatus of3olecular tructure, M@!,

vol., Jo.2, p.81$103.

Delacour, H.' 2001,2ntroducere in neurostiintelecognitive, %olirom,

=omania.


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Tei"eira, H.'1::8,0ewiv of

4azzaniga5s The maind5spast, in internet.

Cold, I.G


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alonen I. and inti++a H.'

1:::, 8nification - 2t5s3agnificent but is it+%planation),Synthese, 1+,2;$;.

a#flic+ @.' 1:83, Theoriesof aging, in #undamentalsof Geriatric medicineeds.=.D.T. -ape, =.4. -oe andH.=ossman =aven %ress, Je&Mor+ 1:83, 3$B0.

4edvedev Q.*.'1::0,'nattempt at a rational

clasification of theories ofaging, iol. =ev., B, 3;B$3:8.

uart9,


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cognitive development1 'constructivist manifesto.

Behavioral and BrainSciences20 /' B3;$B:.

=uud van den os'2000,4eneral !rganizational

#rinciples of the /rain as 9ey tothe tudy of 'nimal

onsciousness,%


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Tudosescu, I.' 1::;,3etafilosofie, !ditura

Fundatiei ,,=omania de4aine5ucuresti, =omania.

Aacariu C., Dalia T., Aacariu4.' 2001, Toward ' very

2deea of 0epresentation,


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Documents

Towards a Philosophy of Gerontology(1)