I am not convinced that this argument is particularly good news for elders who may be  1  to enjoy the time of their lives. What maybe good news is perhaps best forgotten by those who are  2  on from day to day, and getting by as best as they  3 . Causation itself is an  4  matter for the unscientific mind. Which would you rather feel that your cancer has been genetically programmed, induced by stress or caused by viruses? Brought about by your own folly on smoking cigarettes as Kirkwood himself appears to take  5  granted—brought about casually and spontaneously through the operation of chance? If it is put before them in this way, most people would rather not think about the matter at all. Kirkwood takes a different view, maintaining that the more we know about the  6  process, the more we can " 7  a greater degree of personal control". Common sense certainly tells us oldies to take it easy, to cut down a bit on food and alcohol and strenuous exercise, but we know this from the feel of our bodies rather than from what we read about the progress of science.