Demographic studies foreshadow a dramatic increase in the proportion of "older" members of our global population. The task of allocating public and private resources to accommodate present and future generations is a daunting challenge for all nations. Not surprisingly, planning for the health of an ageing society raises profound issues in law, ethics, and public policy. "Culture, Health, and Social Change" is the first of three volumes on aging conceived for the International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine. Leading scholars from a range of disciplines contest some of the predominant paradigms on aging, and critically assess modern trends in social health policy. How we approach and understand "ageing" will have indelible effects on existing and future elder citizens. Acknowledging the cultural variances that exist in the human experience of ageing is therefore of vital importance in order to respond to individual needs in a manner that is not paternalistic, discriminatory, or exclusionary.