Ethical and social implications of approaching death prediction in humans - when the biology of ageing meets existential issues
Marie Gaille
(1)
,
Marco Araneda
(2, 3)
,
Clément Dubost
(4, 5)
,
Clémence Guillermain
(1)
,
Sarah Kaakai
(6, 7)
,
Elise Ricadat
(2)
,
Nicolas Todd
(8)
,
Michael Rera
(9, 10, 11)
1
SPHERE UMR 7219 -
Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire
2 CRPMS (URP_3522) - Centre de Recherches Psychanalyse, Médecine et Société
3 URP_3518 - Recherche clinique appliquée à l'hématologie
4 HIA Begin - Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Begin [Saint-Mandé, France]
5 CB - CB - Centre Borelli - UMR 9010
6 LMM - Laboratoire Manceau de Mathématiques
7 IRA - Institut du Risque et de l'Assurance, Le Mans
8 MPIDR - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
9 CRI - Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire / Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity [Paris, France]
10 IBPS - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine
11 B2A-IBPS - Adaptation Biologique et Vieillissement = Biological Adaptation and Ageing
2 CRPMS (URP_3522) - Centre de Recherches Psychanalyse, Médecine et Société
3 URP_3518 - Recherche clinique appliquée à l'hématologie
4 HIA Begin - Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Begin [Saint-Mandé, France]
5 CB - CB - Centre Borelli - UMR 9010
6 LMM - Laboratoire Manceau de Mathématiques
7 IRA - Institut du Risque et de l'Assurance, Le Mans
8 MPIDR - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
9 CRI - Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire / Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity [Paris, France]
10 IBPS - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine
11 B2A-IBPS - Adaptation Biologique et Vieillissement = Biological Adaptation and Ageing
Marie Gaille
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 976169
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5572-1065
- IdRef : 076990990
Marco Araneda
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1002317
- IdHAL : marco-araneda
- IdRef : 176678646
Clémence Guillermain
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 178075
- IdHAL : clemence-guillermain
- IdRef : 274031787
Elise Ricadat
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 754433
- IdHAL : elise-ricadat
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8202-1523
- IdRef : 133205932
Nicolas Todd
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 751346
- IdHAL : nicolas-todd
- ORCID : 0000-0002-7223-0759
Michael Rera
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 17367
- IdHAL : michael-rera
- ORCID : 0000-0002-6574-6511
- IdRef : 146270908
Résumé
Abstract Background The discovery of biomarkers of ageing has led to the development of predictors of impending natural death and has paved the way for personalised estimation of the risk of death in the general population. This study intends to identify the ethical resources available to approach the idea of a long-lasting dying process and consider the perspective of death prediction. The reflection on human mortality is necessary but not sufficient to face this issue. Knowledge about death anticipation in clinical contexts allows for a better understanding of it. Still, the very notion of prediction and its implications must be clarified. This study outlines in a prospective way issues that call for further investigation in the various fields concerned: ethical, psychological, medical and social. Methods The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach, a combination of philosophy, clinical psychology, medicine, demography, biology and actuarial science. Results The present study proposes an understanding of death prediction based on its distinction with the relationship to human mortality and death anticipation, and on the analogy with the implications of genetic testing performed in pre-symptomatic stages of a disease. It leads to the identification of a multi-layered issue, including the individual and personal relationship to death prediction, the potential medical uses of biomarkers of ageing, the social and economic implications of the latter, especially in regard to the way longevity risk is perceived. Conclusions The present study work strives to propose a first sketch of what the implications of death prediction as such could be - from an individual, medical and social point of view. Both with anti-ageing medicine and the transhumanist quest for immortality, research on biomarkers of ageing brings back to the forefront crucial ethical matters: should we, as human beings, keep ignoring certain things, primarily the moment of our death, be it an estimation of it? If such knowledge was available, who should be informed about it and how such information should be given? Is it a knowledge that could be socially shared?
Format du dépôt | Notice |
---|---|
Type de dépôt | Article dans une revue |
Titre |
en
Ethical and social implications of approaching death prediction in humans - when the biology of ageing meets existential issues
|
Résumé |
en
Abstract Background The discovery of biomarkers of ageing has led to the development of predictors of impending natural death and has paved the way for personalised estimation of the risk of death in the general population. This study intends to identify the ethical resources available to approach the idea of a long-lasting dying process and consider the perspective of death prediction. The reflection on human mortality is necessary but not sufficient to face this issue. Knowledge about death anticipation in clinical contexts allows for a better understanding of it. Still, the very notion of prediction and its implications must be clarified. This study outlines in a prospective way issues that call for further investigation in the various fields concerned: ethical, psychological, medical and social. Methods The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach, a combination of philosophy, clinical psychology, medicine, demography, biology and actuarial science. Results The present study proposes an understanding of death prediction based on its distinction with the relationship to human mortality and death anticipation, and on the analogy with the implications of genetic testing performed in pre-symptomatic stages of a disease. It leads to the identification of a multi-layered issue, including the individual and personal relationship to death prediction, the potential medical uses of biomarkers of ageing, the social and economic implications of the latter, especially in regard to the way longevity risk is perceived. Conclusions The present study work strives to propose a first sketch of what the implications of death prediction as such could be - from an individual, medical and social point of view. Both with anti-ageing medicine and the transhumanist quest for immortality, research on biomarkers of ageing brings back to the forefront crucial ethical matters: should we, as human beings, keep ignoring certain things, primarily the moment of our death, be it an estimation of it? If such knowledge was available, who should be informed about it and how such information should be given? Is it a knowledge that could be socially shared?
|
Auteur(s) |
Marie Gaille
1
, Marco Araneda
2, 3
, Clément Dubost
4, 5
, Clémence Guillermain
1
, Sarah Kaakai
6, 7
, Elise Ricadat
2
, Nicolas Todd
8
, Michael Rera
9, 10, 11
1
SPHERE UMR 7219 -
Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire
( 1004988 )
- 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205 PARIS CEDEX 13
- France
2
CRPMS (URP_3522) -
Centre de Recherches Psychanalyse, Médecine et Société
( 1005009 )
- Bât. Olympe de Gouges case postale 7058 75205 Paris cedex 13
- France
3
URP_3518 -
Recherche clinique appliquée à l'hématologie
( 1004996 )
- Hôpital Saint-Louis - Bâtiment universitaire HAYEM -1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 PARIS
- France
4
HIA Begin -
Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Begin [Saint-Mandé, France]
( 37970 )
- 69 avenue de Paris, 94160 Saint-Mandé
- France
5
CB -
CB - Centre Borelli - UMR 9010
( 1006447 )
- Campus ENS Paris-Saclay
4 Avenue des Sciences,
91190 Gif-sur-Yvette
- France
6
LMM -
Laboratoire Manceau de Mathématiques
( 90071 )
- Le Mans Université - Faculté des Sciences et Techniques
Avenue Olivier Messiaen - 72085 Le Mans Cedex 9 (France)
- France
7
IRA -
Institut du Risque et de l'Assurance, Le Mans
( 543757 )
- Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085 LE MANS CEDEX
- France
8
MPIDR -
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
( 114184 )
- Konrad-Zuse-Straße 1, 18057 Rostock
- Allemagne
9
CRI -
Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire / Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity [Paris, France]
( 1053173 )
- 8 bis, rue Charles V
75004 Paris
- France
10
IBPS -
Institut de Biologie Paris Seine
( 542120 )
- Quai Saint-Bernard
75252 PARIS CEDEX 05
- France
11
B2A-IBPS -
Adaptation Biologique et Vieillissement = Biological Adaptation and Ageing
( 542094 )
- Campus de Jussieu - 4 place Jussieu 75005 Paris
- France
|
Comité de lecture |
Oui
|
Vulgarisation |
Non
|
Nom de la revue |
|
Langue du document |
Anglais
|
Audience |
Internationale
|
Date de publication |
2020-12
|
Volume |
21
|
Numéro |
1
|
Domaine(s) |
|
DOI | 10.1186/s12910-020-00502-5 |
PubMed Central | PMC7385957 |
Loading...