Hello everyone,

I watched Dr. Sherwin Nuland (considered one of the three finest M.D. authors in
the west) on C-Span and the subject of life extension came up in the interview. 
He felt "compressed morbidity" or the reduction & management of age-related
breakdown until the very end of life was what we should be aiming for, and not
life-extension (anything beyond 120 years in his view).  

Nuland said he had recently spoken with Aubrey de Grey and went on about de
Grey's plans for greatly extending lifespan (which he said were somewhat vague
and not fully worked out yet) with a tone that was surprisingly almost friendly
or at least neutral.  The doctor calmly stated he disagreed with de Grey's goal
of a human lifespan around 5-10,000 years. lol  I wondered why de Grey had the
arbitrary figure of 10,000 years as his finishing line.  Why not 100,000 years? 

As with many doctors, Nuland wants to maximize life expectancy rather than expand
lifespan.  I did find it interesting that he said Leon Kass (who he claims to
admire for his academic achievements) was too far right of the spectrum, while he
himself was "just right."

I found it a poignant moment when a 75 year-old man and retired teacher called in
and said he had a fear of death & oblivion which was almost constantly on his
mind.  Nuland said this man's fear was based in biology and evolution but that
the problem seemed beyond just that single issue and instead obsessive in nature,
so the advice given was that the man seek therapy and the assistance of a good
support group to help him come to terms with his future demise.    


John Grigg



