Are we designed to die?

Question

This is a question I often discuss with my friends over a pint, and sort of is philosophical as well as about biology. The question is thus:

Do we die because our bodies fail and cannot cope with the strain and duress of continued existence, or is death something our bodies are designed to do?

I know that when for instance, the body is strangled or choking the body reacts by sacrificing cells of less important organs for air to keep a supply reaching the brain. (hence why lips go blue) - this suggests that the body fights against death.

I also know that hormones are released on the point of death, suggesting this is something the body is designed for and a process it has 'within it', like respiration.

So I am unsure and wodnered what people think.

I would prefer to concentrate on the biologoical side of things, as its obvious that people have to die for reasons of population and I am not interested in the theological aspect either.

Thanks in advance

I just wanted to say thanks, there are some awesome and thought provoking answers here!

Answer 1

There is a death gene which controls the length of human telomeres - repeat DNA sequences that cap a chromosome. Each time a human cell divides, the cap shortens. When it gets too short, cells die. Telomere length therefore acts as a ’death clock’
People vary considerably in the length of telomeres they are born with. The bottom line is that our clock it ticking

Answer 2

Are we designed to die?

Well one thing is for certain we were not designed to live forever. I accept what you say about death being a final process contained within our bodies, if you take the stance that our bodies are merely vessels for our souls then it would stand to reason that the final process is one which can release the soul.

However this also provokes the idea of mind over matter; it is said that if you die in a dream you can die in real life if this is true then this must be because our will or belief in the dream is so strong that our brain is forced to activate the final function and release your soul and thus ill your body.

I on the other hand think differently, i do not believe we were meant to live forever but i do not believe that we are meant to die for the reason that life is forever ongoing and does not seem to stop [ever]

The first Order of Chaos is that all energy can neither be created nor destroyed by any being comprised thereof; as this power is reserved by Chaos God of creation and destruction it is for this reason i resoundedly believe that the body dies but we do not, our energy is released and takes on other forms.

The body was not designed to live forever
Ergo the body was designed to die

We are comprised of energy which can never be destroyed it must remain but in different forms
Ergo we were not designed to die

Answer 3

That is a very good question, philosophical, too. think that the body may be designed to die; obviously we weren't designed to keep on living, but is that due to old age, or are we programmed to die? I think we are programmed to die eventually, but some can and have lived longer than others. But is that because of their body, or because of their will to live? The body may fight against death, but it can only do so much against the determined will and hostility of another person. But maybe we can live longer than anyone else ever has, but is the key to this form of immortality found through the will to survive and sheer will-power? Or do you just have to be the healthiest person on Earth? I don't have a definite answer; best ask a scientists or someone in that field for a better answer.

Answer 4

"There is no pint in dying unless you know you have lived" This is my take on life. I want to die with the knowledge that I have lived and I think this is what the body wants. However if you look at a human life as a product then it has what all modern products have "inbuilt obselesence" What that means is that manufacturers manufacture their products to ensure they will "die" at some point. Take a look at te simple products, electical appliances with "memory batteries" or with inbuilt plugs. Al of which mean that at some point you either get rid of the product or get spare parts. Now translate this to life: Inbuilt obselecence exists. At some point you will die, or if you are able to you will be packed of to the hospital to have new parts added or repairs done. To this end, yes humans die because they are designed to do so, but by the same token we are designed not to do so as we can make repairs or replace parts. It is only the result of morals and technology that stops us from living forever

Answer 5

Wow! Great question!
Well, in my humble opinion, yes we are designed to die. It is true that with sickness and with age, our body does its best to regulate any abnormalities in our body so as to make it run smoother and normal. However, the motor of our living is the heart. The heart is the organ that provides life to other organs including itself (by pumping the blood of course) and the heart beats right about 3.5 billion times in a life time (assuming an average heart rate and 65 yrs of age), so after all these many times, the heart gets tired (physiologically speaking) and then it gives up. Albeit, the body still tries to cope with what's wrong, but the heart has the final decision.
I don't know if this makes any sense, and i didn't read any other answer but this is my opinion as a scientist :)

Answer 6

I think that, for the most part you have answered the question yourself. The body does have this amazing ability to protect itself (or certain parts) from lack of blood and oxygen with the heart and the brain being the most important areas of ultimate survival.

Our original purpose was to pro-create, to maintain the species. Evolution has done the rest. Like any other living organism our life span is determined by wear and tear, the conditions of our immediate surroundings and a bit of luck.

Like a plant, you can prepare its soil, temp', feeding and watering. but if the wrong bacteria or other organisms (including bugs and mites, etc) come into contact with it, its life expectancy drops drastically.

Further, we as part of the world of living organisms do not have a natural ability to overcome all of the constant attacks from each other. The Giant Tortouise lives for 250 years (with luck!) but it too ultimately dies. Some organisms live only to pro-create, they reach sexual maturity, perform(as it were!) and immediately die. Certain plants have this gene too. In these instances there is an argument for living to die. But its not that simple, as the there purpose is to pro-create, dying is the side affect.

So, do we also have this gene? If so, maybe we thrive to meet sexual maturity(true), maintain our sexual readiness(true) and then we become infurtile(Menopausal). Thus, at the menopausal stage, are our bodies starting the closing down process? The fact that we can live for another 50 years or more is a process of better conditions, diet and modern medicine.

In conclusion, I think we do in fact wear out, quite literally. It seems there are no cells immune to the process of deteriotaion. Death can only be delayed, but it can never be cured.

Good Question, my friend!

Answer 7

We are designed to die and have a set life cycle that allows us to grow, reproduce and die.
In natural circumstances we would live to about 3 score years and 10 [70] with a good diet and no diseases. We can cheat death with health care and medicine but in the end the basic bones and flesh give out even if you replace the organs the end is inevitable.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

The body definately has a survivial instinct and as you point out will always do what it can to survive even if that means making sacrifices. This is why, for example, you cannot kill yourself by holding your breath no matter how hard you try as your body and brain will not let you.

However, the body does age which causes death but this is due to pure genetics and it will be interesting to see if science is ever able to engineer genes such that the aging could be reversed (don't think it will happen in my lifetime which is a bit of a bummer!)

Answer 10

Yes strange isn't it, you are born with a survival instinct and an instinctive fear of death and yet everyone dies (well as far as we know anyway). Your DNA has an in built expiry date, DNA has telomeres at the end which shorten each time your cells replicate and when they get too short the cells can't replicate properly, there is a way round this used by gametes to prevent problem with the next generation. So it is does seem almost as if we are designed that way.