Pascal Bruckner calls for a more humanistic view of longevity

Pascal Bruckner was the protagonist of a new edition of the cycle "Conversations in Salamanca", where he reflected on the philosophy of longevity and the change of paradigm in demographic ageing from a humanist point of view in an event that was the return to the "presencial" in the Auditorium of the Hospedería Fonseca, in Salamanca.

The event was presented by Concepción Galdón, Director of Social Innovation at IE University, with the participation of journalist and director of Televisión Española Sergio Martín.

Pascal Bruckner warned, during the press conference prior to the event, that expert projections currently indicate that by 2050 there will be more people over 60 than under 20 years of age. The weakness that we perceive now will become a real power in 20 or 30 years' time, which will necessarily change the perception. Asked about the difficulty of maintaining public pension systems in countries such as Spain, the French philosopher acknowledges that he is not an expert on the Spanish situation, but warns that "they are weakening" and points out that "it is advisable to think about pension plans practically at 20 in order to be able to live with dignity at 60". He is convinced that the retirement age "is going to be revised" and reiterates that "the wisest thing to do is to start saving".

The French writer also took the opportunity to issue a warning. The increase in the life expectancy of the population, which according to his figures is between 25 and 30 years over the last few years, is "a burden" for the new generations, so that it has become an "essential fact that makes it necessary to review certain social structures, including the retirement system in many countries".

"If we don't want this intergenerational conflict to degenerate, we should prevent older people from being a burden," he said, because young people "don't understand that they have to work while their grandparents are away". According to Bruckner, older people "used to take care of their children's children, but now they are not confined to the traditional figure of the grandparents, but go on trips and carry out various activities".

According to the French writer, this has a bearing on the paradigm shift in the concept of longevity. "Right now a person over 50 is entering a stage of maturity, not old age, which has been changing its meaning. Before, someone could consider that they were entering old age at around 45 years of age, and now many people perceive it to be just before death," he points out. He points out that in countries such as Spain or his own, France, there are more and more centenarians. "If we want to continue to be socially active, we are going to have to change this perception, and this is the current challenge facing society.