From: Michael S. Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Dec 01 2000 - 09:35:47 MST
"Dr. Ian Irvine" wrote:
>
> Hi Michael,
>
> Many thanks for your comments on my review of Broderick's excellent book
> concerning immortality etc. I feel I should respond to one or two of your
> criticism of me however.
>
> You seem to
> > assume that the wisdom acquired in old age is a consequence of the
> > individual slowly rotting away, and in coming to terms with one's
> > mortality, rather than as a consequence of the accumulation of one's
> > past experience actually LIVING life.
>
> I don't assume this at all. The criticism I made was merely that Broderick
> had not explored enough the psychological and spiritual dimensions of Old
> Age. From a Developmetal Psychology perspective the book is sadly lacking -
> all the more so since so much of what is written is groudbreaking and even
> prophetic. Likewise, my thoughts on the topic of old age, immortality etc.
> were not covered to any depth in my review of Broderick's book. Your
> assumption that I equate the wisdom of old age only with suffering is in
> fact incorrect.
> Hence:
>
> While there is something to be
> > said for confronting one's mortality, the rot of old age does not result
> > in wisdom, its simply a pain, an impediment, and a source of suffering
> > that could and should be avoided. Humanists claim to seek to alleviate
> > suffering in this world, yet they refuse to admit that the greatest
> > amount of suffering is from old age. If you claim that wisdom results
> > from this suffering, then you cannot conversely claim that other sources
> > of suffering, like child abuse, scholastic, military, gender, religious,
> > and racial/ethnic hazing and discrimination, police torture and
> > imprisonment of criminals, are not all character building activities
> > that should also be accepted in our all too human world. By opposing
> > such suffering, you are thus opposed to creating greater wisdom in the
> > world. As this reducto ad absurdum demonstrates, the logic of old age
> related
> > suffering producing wisdom is false, or else your whole worldview is
> > false. Wisdom comes from experience.
>
> The peculiar circumstances of late Capitalism's pathologies (as listed
> above in your letter) are in no way synonmous with the complex
> psychospiritual, psychosocial and physical changes that come with pre-'Old
> Age'. Your logical error is apparently to see all suffering as the same. To
> equate old age for example, with child abuse, racism etc. is to mix
> categories to an almost absurd degree and thus to trivialise what is at
> issue with partisan rhetoric (I assume you're on Damia's side in all this -
> correct me if I'm wrong).
>
> * You comments are nevertheless very interesting and have made me think
> further about the psychospiritual issues/changes etc. which come with old
> age ... though I'm not keen on living for 4,000 years ... just yet. Maybe,
> however, I will eat my words once I reach my 60s ... indeed the old knee
> joints creak a fair bit these days as a 36 year old ... and I forget
> people's names a fair bit these days <grins>!!
>
> Regards,
> Ian Irvine
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