The Hallmarks of aging: Paradigms and scientific progress

The Hallmarks of Aging framework has become a widely accepted schema within geroscience, organizing diverse mechanisms of cellular and molecular decline. This article examines whether the Hallmarks function as a scientific paradigm and, beyond that, whether they have enabled genuine scientific progress-an angle largely absents from current literature. Drawing on models from the philosophy of science, the article evaluates the framework's status and impact from multiple perspectives. From Kuhn, the Hallmarks act as exemplars within the damage paradigm, guiding "normal science" without instigating revolutionary change. From Lakatos, they form part of a protective belt that stabilizes a research programme rather than producing theoretical innovation. From Laudan, they help solve empirical problems but leave conceptual issues unresolved. From Kitcher, their success lies in rhetorical and institutional unification more than inferential structure. From Galison, they are best understood as an instrumental "trading zone" that enables cross-disciplinary coordination. In sum, while the Hallmarks have brought coherence and methodological infrastructure to aging research, they may also constrain conceptual imagination-raising critical questions about the field's long-term epistemic vitality.