The physiology and psychology of aging
should aging be successful or authentic?
pp. 49-68
in: Geoffrey Scarre (ed), The Palgrave handbook of the philosophy of aging, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
The chapter starts by describing aging in terms of its underlying physiology, moving from the level of cells to organs and the organism as a whole. After a description of cell damage and repair, the discussion moves on to oxidative stress and other features of damage and repair, showing that aging reflects the accumulation of molecular damage over time. In examining the physiology and the psychology of aging, the tension between normal and abnormal aging becomes apparent. There are various theories about aging, which often focus on the cause of aging. However, a theory of aging might also be expected to tell us more broadly what aging is about. Are there, for instance, criteria for successful aging? At the end of the chapter, it is suggested that the notion of "authentic" aging is one that makes more conceptual sense, even if it is itself problematic.