Scientifically, aging is the time-related deterioration of physiological functions for survival and reproduction. The phenotypic changes of senescence are not to be confused with diseases of senescence, such as cancer and heart disease, which affect individuals.[1]
Unscientifically, it’s the process of getting older. Let’s start with spelling. Which is correct—ageing or aging? Both are. Ageing is commonplace, though in some parts of town folks drop the “e” when forming the participle. Before getting to the ethics of writing about it, writers decide whether they going to write positively or negatively.
Using the word positively requires self-acceptance. You know, take power back no matter how old you are. Or live with a sense of purpose, prioritize learning, stay active, define your own path.[2]
Using it negatively is plain old ageism. You know, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination directed at people based on their age. It’s so pervasive in politics that only younger candidates notice it while older ones seem proud of it.
The World Health Organization is tempted to ban it. Their pitch is discrimination and negative attitudes about ageing are bad for your health.[3]
Aging politicians in 2024 tend to be “older” than they’ve been historically. The U.S. congress is one of the oldest in modern history.[4] The median age in the U.S. Senate is 65. The median age for Generation Z is half-way between twelve and twenty-seven. It’s the generation after millennials and after Generation Alpha. They are fondly called zoomers because they are the first generation to be “digitally native.” They are hyper informed, adept at scrolling and their attention is fleeting. [5] This means they grew up with smartphones in their little tight pockets, are motivated differently, and are risk-averse for unknown reasons. So far none want to grow up to be politicians. And no thinking politician wants to zoom anywhere except politically.
Aging is front page news today because we have two aged men running for president of a 246-year-old country where the median voter is a fifty-something person who didn’t go to college and lives in an unfashionable suburb.[6] It’s also news because our president is the oldest in U.S. history and wants another four-year term. His opponent is 76, the senate majority leader is 72, the minority leader is 82, and they are aging in place.
The ethics of ageing is a field of normative enquiry encompassing ethical issues facing ageing people. Its complicated largely because aging itself is an ethical dilemma—a choice between two equally undesirable choices. Aging with fewer jobs, responsibilities, and obligations or denying the burdens of age and a slower life pace.
Here is the medical and psychological perspective. “Ageing is a fundamental aspect of life. It is arguably more fundamental and ubiquitous than procreation. Ageing is a process to which we are all subject. Ageing people are treated as an object in ethical discourse. We should place ageing people at the center of ethical analysis and avoid the common negative associations with ageing.”[7]
The U.S. Constitution sets minimum, but not maximum, age thresholds for presidents and members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The minimum age is 35 for presidents, 30 for senators and 25 for representatives. Maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington – while popular among the public – likely would require amending the Constitution. That’s not going to happen.
Only 3% of U.S. adults say a president should be in their 70s or older, according to a separate Pew Center survey conducted in June. Roughly half of Americans (49%) say a president should be in their 50s, while another 24% say a chief executive should be in their 60s.[8] There are relatively modest partisan differences on this question. These data present the obvious conundrum facing the 2024 presidential election—either we elect the old and deny the young, or we insist on maxim ages for all elected offices. We can’t have it both ways. Our well-aged politicians won’t allow that.
We are at a flashpoint on aged politicians. Older politicians are criticized for being out of touch, their allies argue their seniority and experience enhances their influence.[9] Younger voters argue for maximum age limits. While it is clear that public opinion is shifting on this issue, many also argue against using age as a factor. Nancy Jecker, a University of Washington bioethics and philosophy professor, argues, “Age is sometimes used as a marker for poor health. But it’s a really blunt instrument.” Instead, she argues, mental acuity tests would focus on specific job-related functions.”[10]
I would argue that age is important because time and energy are vital to doing any job. It is a finite resource. People of different ages tend to differ in many aspects. How old you are is not as important as your legal responsibility, your outlook on life, and your self-perceptions of what you can and cannot do. We should listen to honest people and deny those whose motives for office are suspicious or confirmed by their conduct.
Bums, blabbers, cheaters, low thinkers, thieves, ill-mannered, immoral, presumptuous, or convicted felons, should not be elected to any office, irrespective of how young they claim to be.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10041/#:~:text=Aging
[2] https://www.piedmont.org/living-real-change/conscious-aging-how-to-accept-and-enjoy-life-at-every-stage
[3] https://www.who.int/news/item/29-09-2016-discrimination-and-negative-attitudes-about-ageing-are-bad-for-your-health#
[4] https://www.npr.org/2023/08/31/1197084257/politicians-now-tend-to-be-older-than-theyve-been-historically-its-causing-issue
[5] https://www.ethos-marketing.com/blog/gen-z-marketing-to-a-generation-of-digital-natives
[6] https://www.slowboring.com/p/the-median-voter-is-a-50-something
[7] https://jme.bmj.com/content/44/2/128
[8] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/04/most-americans-favor-maximum-age-limits-for-federal-elected-officials-supreme-court-justices
[9] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hold-office-political-flashpoint-amid-americans-concerns-analysis/story
[10] https://www.closeup.org/should-there-be-an-age-limit-on-public-officials/
I am an author and a part-time lawyer with a focus on ethics and professional discipline. I teach creative writing and ethics to law students at Arizona State University. Read my bio.
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I am an author and a part-time lawyer with a focus on ethics and professional discipline. I teach creative writing and ethics to law students at Arizona State University. 
My latest novel is Hide & Be. 
If you have an important story you want told, you can commission me to write it for you. 