Why we grow old and die

ballistic

"Why we grow old and die"... I remember seeing this article quite a lot, but maybe you could tell me if it still comes around?

Anyhow, I was watching a TV programme the other day about nature following the second law of thermodynamics and I realised that everything around us breaks down, everything wears, things that move generate friction, the tendancy for particles is to fall apart and "entropy" to increase, just as the universe itself will one day have no structure left as such, just randomness of elementary particles floating about and darkness.

Really, the question implies a bogus argument. The question should really be "why does everything die, or gradually break down and decay?" And the answer is, because the laws of science dictate it. The human body has evolved to repair and protect itself in many fascinating ways for as long as it takes to procreate and spread our gentic makeup, and then time takes it's toll, the body is no longer needed and we pass away... If there is any element of us left, it's certainly not in this universe or dimension, maybe as a part of god, that's the only place where memories of us can live on forever...

Knowsnothing

Well, there is a counter explanation I've heard, that says basically we certainly have the inherent ability to continue living. Yet we don't. Why is that?

As for your entropy arguement, why is it that the universe, being the billions of years old that it is, hasn't already become a giant, jumbled trash bin? Why after all that time, is there still order within? Shouldn't it have broken down long ago?

Remember, entropy doesn't take that long to affect things.

And, in case your wondering, my stand is the God that fills the gaps, not necessarily the Biblical God.

Nickolas

Quite right, but it is a message a lot of people in here don't want to hear.

Cheers,

Nick

Star tiger

Hi,

Read some Aubrey de Grey,

We are in a fantastic position in history, once the life extension technologies begin to appear in 2025, when i'm 55 by the way we'll have at least another 30 to 40 years of active life, and during that time new methods of extending life will be instigated, the futures great if you've got the cash,lol, it's time to work!!!!

science will always beat religion!!!!!!

Star Tiger

Satanus

By law of nature, we only need to get old enough to procreate, then we are useless eaters. In other cases, if we are useful for the furtherance of our clan, then we can carry on for a while longer. After our clan usefulness ends, we are driven out or left behind to die. I'm talking about us as animals, generally on this here planet, generally;)

It's interesting that the hearts of stars, where fusion creates all of the other elements in the universe are low entropy areas. Our bodies have both low and high entropy areas. Basically, we go downhill from the time we are born. Stars too, don't last forever. Most of them explode, and broadcast their created materials.

S

Ps, who wants to live forever, anyway? These life extension fads, where old fools try to a yr or yrs to their lives seem like desperate futilities, somehow. But that's just me talking.

Satanus

Welcome back, ballistic:)

S

Joey Jo-Jo

stars also give birth to other stars.

ballistic- and this is where i think the root of all theories come from, assumptions and not hypothesis.

White Dove

I believe we grow old and die due to the second law of thermodynamics.

We simply wear out.

Vachi 8 He Is

Living forever would suck, I would sooner not be any living thing on this Earth or other planets and be done with it.

ballistic

"Well, there is a counter explanation I've heard, that says basically we certainly have the inherent ability to continue living. Yet we don't. Why is that?
As for your entropy arguement, why is it that the universe, being the billions of years old that it is, hasn't already become a giant, jumbled trash bin? Why after all that time, is there still order within? Shouldn't it have broken down long ago?"
""

What is the "inheraent ability" to continue living? You see this is the whole point of my post - nothing has any inherant ability to continue forever, the whole way in which the universe works and everything in it is for it's randomness to increase, not for order to be maintained.

As for why the universe "hasn't already become a jumbled trash bin", this is false reasoning... if it had, we wouldn't be here to be able to ask the question. We are able to have this discussion because we live in the very special time where the universe can support life, a mere blip of time in the grand history of the universe.

Why we grow old and die

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