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(2016) The Palgrave handbook of the philosophy of aging, Dordrecht, Springer.
In constructing an abstract ethics of reason, addressing a general rational subject, Enlightenment and modernity have forgotten old age. By contrast, the ancient ethics of happiness asked what a good life might be for people in specific life stages, such as the aged. Nowadays, it is important to regain this tradition. Thus this chapter poses the question: What does it mean for a finite being to age but still lead a good life? During the process of aging, a radicalization of our vulnerable corporality and finitude takes place. This becoming-oneself-in-aging must be understood not only in its ethical meaning, but also implies a correction of our modern understanding of man.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-39356-2_20
Full citation:
Rentsch, T. (2016)., Aging as becoming oneself: a philosophical ethics of late life, in G. Scarre (ed.), The Palgrave handbook of the philosophy of aging, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 347-364.
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