> >>The best evidence that mother nature begins to care less for us after
> >>middle age is that we begin to fall apart physically.
> >>If natural selection did not in actuality disfavor old humans vs young
> >>humans then we would not lose our
> >>vision and our teeth as we grow old.
>
> Fallacy alert!

Hardly.

> Saying that people are programmed
> to self-destruct fits a gloomy, predestination-based pessimism:

I didn't say that, though it certainly could be true.

> Before it was the gods or God that preordained the failure of
> mankind in old age -- now it's fashionable blame our genes.

It's not "fashion". It is science. There is a clear possibility that we are
indeed genetically programmed to break down and die, though that is not
really part of my argument.

> Either way it's a cop-out, giving in to pseudo-mystery and
> shirking responsibility.

Okay then alexs. We shall all live forever with these immortal genes.
Forgive me for suggesting otherwise.

-gts