The 2024 presidential election cycle is well underway, and voters are more concerned than ever with the age of the candidates. More specifically, the age—and as a result, the cognitive and physical health—of President Joe Biden, who would be 82 if he were to take the oath of office for a second time. But as Mauro Guillén—author of The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society and vice dean at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania—suggests in a new piece for TIME, perhaps the debate over age this election cycle is far too simplistic and, even more importantly, veers into blatant ageism.

Among Guillén's most intruiging points:

• Humans start to cognitively decline as soon as we are are in our late 20s, but experience—in this case, Biden’s extensive legislative and political career—can compensate for this.
• The average 80-year-old American male is now expected to live another seven years. But Biden has one thing that many people don’t: privilege. His healthy lifestyle and access to world-class medical care mean he has a good chance of outlasting the average life expectancy.
• Instead of using this moment to perpetuate ageist stereotypes, we should focus on having a national conversation that puts intergenerational dynamics and policies front and center.

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