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Date: | Thu, 30 Mar 2000 21:33:07 -0800 |
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>>This means that the forces of evolution.. natural selection.. have
>>engineered our bodies to work well until the age at which we likely to have
>>procreated. Nature's implied warranty gradually becomes null and void with
>>each year that passes after our sexual prime.
>
>Be careful here. Homo Sapiens is a highly social species. Old persons
>have importance for the procreation of the younger members of the group.
>They supply information and help collecting food, and more.
-Quite so. Humans are much more than an assortment of genetic material.
Cultural heritage and social convention are often more important to an
individual's well-being than genes per se. For instance, the obvious
superiority and rightness of infant breastfeeding is ignored or
suppressed in over 60% of N. American mothers, mostly with the help
of the fake-milk industry and the bizarre cultural sexualization of the
female breast.
-I mentioned to my late granny -- in my youthful naivete -- that old
people performed a vital function in passing on culture, wisdom
bla bla et cetera . She cited examples of burdensome, silly or
destructive oldsters who were better off not influencing younger
generations or being a drain on family resources. Down in flames!
Unlike fine wine, older in humans is not necessarily better or valuable.
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