The science of why we die | Michael Shermer | Big Think

The science of why we die
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According to scientists the reason we die is because the second law of thermodynamics and natural selection.

The whole universe runs down, so, ultimately, even if you could lengthen your lifespan indefinitely, the universe itself will eventually die in a heat death.

We die, one predominant view goes, so that our progeny may live — because there are limited resources.
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MICHAEL SHERMER:

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of
Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and Presidential Fellow at Chapman University.
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TRANSCRIPT:

MICHAEL SHERMER: From a scientist's prospective it's going to be rather different from that of most religious traditions, which holds that we die because this is only a temporary staging area before we go to the big show the next stage in which we go to heaven or hell or wherever some kind of afterlife. For scientists the question has a rather different answer and it has to do with the kinds of causes we look for in science. So you have proximate causes versus ultimate causes. For example, why does sugar taste sweet or why does fruit taste sweet something like that? You would say well because there's molecular receptors on your tongue that are geared toward sending signals to a certain part of the brain that register sweetness and pleasure and so on with fruit. That's approximate answer. And ultimate answer is because foods that taste sweet are more likely to be consumed and those in our natural environment are the kinds of foods that are both rare and nutritious and so the more of them you eat the better and we evolved that tendency.

To answer the question why we die, it's the same kind of thing. Approximate answers include cancer, heart disease, arthrosclerosis. The ultimate answer though is found in two principles of nature, that is the second law of thermodynamics or entropy, which means everything runs down, including our bodies. And the whole universe, the whole universe runs down so ultimately even if you could double your lifespan, triple it, live essentially forever you can't really because the universe will eventually die in a heat death. And then second is the principle of natural selection that drives evolution. And it has to do with a cost benefit analysis of how many limited resources you put into organisms. So obviously natural selection is going to select for infants and toddlers and babies to be well cared for, have super regenerative powers to keep their bodies going in order to get the genes into the next generation, get them up to reproductive age and so on. So we see cells that divide very rapidly in infants and babies. A little cut you could practically watch it heal. It's incredible. Whereas someone my age when I get cut it takes much longer to heal.

And so the question is why wouldn't evolution just make it so that I, now in my early 60s, can't just keep going to 200/300? And the answer is there's no reason for it. Because after I've brought my own offspring into reproductive age and then they've brought their offspring into reproductive age I'm really of no use anymore. I can serve a useful purpose as a parent, of course, bringing my genes up and then useful purpose as a grandparent to help my offspring bring their offspring up to reproductive age, but beyond that really there's no sense in pouring any more resources into great, great, great, great, great grandparents because the genes in the little infant are already going to be well taken care of. So it's sort of a weird way to think about it, but in a way nature operates because of entropy. Nature has to select and choose in kind of a triage where are we going to put the resources. I'm saying it like there's somebody up there allocating resources, the government is doling out checks to organisms. No, there is nothing like that, of course, this is just how natural selection operates. So in short, we die so that our future generations may live because there are limited resources.
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[FirstRisingSouI]

Great. Let's fix this using science.

[CallsignJoNay]

What does this have to do with why we *can't* live forever? Title in the thumbnail should read why we currently *don't* live forever. There's no reason why we won't be able to radically increase human life spans through new technology, and eventually live (practically) forever.

[DubaiGuy]

If we as humankind can raise our usefulness to our progeny, and somehow add to the universal or natural resources, then scientifically speaking we ought to be able to live much longer than we do now.

[karenness]

Speculation, but I adore you anyway. Why does anything exist at all? Even inert matter has no reason for being, much less these "forces" that make "matter" behave in inexplicable ways. We will never be able to take away the mystery of existence, nor the possibility that a Being is responsible for it all.

[Julia-hkjp]

THAT ANSWER WENT FREAKING DARK ...HIS SIMS HOPELESS ...HIS 60 BUT HE CANT FIND ANY ANSWERS THATS THE TRUTH

[noobinator]

As far as natural selection goes it may make sense to allocate resources for younger blood than old people, but it doesn't change the fact that morally, old people (parents, grandparents) should be cared for by their off spring...after all parents and grandparents are the ones that brought offspring into this world so offspring should care for them in their final years...

[juggernautpictures]

I think his answer was great I mean due to the nature of physical entities deteriorating and the immutable reality of it nature designed a system To preserve biological material through Reproduction so that material exists in each generation of organisms I mean it’s biologically impossible to live forever and that’s why nature compensates for it by passing on genetic and biological resources and material to offspring so that it continues to exist, and it’s a system that works there’s no reason to change the system and create immortal organisms. this man just speaks the truth of how evolution and life works

[kinguq]

This does not explain why mammals become reproductively senescent. If they did not, your argument about animals who have already reproduced and are therefore of no further use falls apart. This question is not well settled among evolutionary biologists and you are conveying a false certainty here imho.

[patmoran]

What if human beings find a way around entropy?

[ednorton]

Read two of your books Science of Good & Evil & The Moral Arc .Your answer here is not in line with the explanation in your books. Peace

[eklim]

so the purpose of living is to procreate, the purpose of dying is to conserve resources for offspring

[GunJack]

This was so over simplified that it made me dry heave.... People are so afraid of death they can not see what is more important.

[abhishekmangaraj]

You never know! Build Artificial super intelligence and see!

[kab]

I am not feeling satisfied with Dr.Shermer's answer. I'm still asking, but why? Biology doesn't know that there's limited resources.

[razxmnazx]

and besides who wants to live forever?...as a slave

[IamKeshavKumar]

You may live hundreds of years by the help of science but why do you wanna live so long for no reason? Why do you wanna suffer more for no reason? Haven't you got life?

[Julia-hkjp]

THEN WHY ARE WE SO DAMN INTELLIGENT AND CAPABLE OF MANY THINGS ....YOUR ANSWER IS EMPTY AND HOPELESS ....

[ptgms]

I Missed this upload, another property of growing older I suspect.

[BasedChad]

He still didn't answer the question

[matthewgreenway]

Im totally different I believe in god but not the bible the reason michael I believe in a god is how can you explain to me that god does not exist if I dreaming months in advance before a person died I had the dream I heard the words spoken Jack died and I saw the picture of the person 2 months later they died or how can you explain another dream I had a dream the pool bouyes that separate the shallow end from the deep went on top of the roof and dissapeared I work for an apartment complex at the time and I went to work on the pool the next day and guess what the pools were stolen last night is what my boss told me the night before I dreamed of them going on top of the roof and disappearing and I had more dreams come real