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A philosopher and a lawyer-economist examine the challenges of the last third of life. They write about friendship, sex, retirement communities, inheritance, poverty, and the depiction of aging women in films. These essays, or conversations, will help readers of all ages think about how to age well, or at least thoughtfully, and how to interact with older family members and friends.
List of contents
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. Learning from King Lear: What can we learn about aging from Shakespeare's Lear?
- Chapter 2. Must We Retire?: Is mandatory retirement a good idea?
- Chapter 3. Aging with Friends: How are friendships different as we age?
- Chapter 4. Aging Bodies: Are cosmetic surgeries good or bad?
- Chapter 5. Looking Back: What is gained from regret, or from living in the moment?
- Chapter 6. Romance and Sex beyond Middle-Age: Does age matter?
- Chapter 7. Inequality and an Aging Population: To what are the elderly entitled?
- Chapter 8. Giving it Away: How should we part with wealth and time?
About the author
Martha C. Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Love's Knowledge, Sex and Social Justice, Animal Rights (edited with Cass Sunstein), From Disgust to Humanity, and Philosophical Interventions, among many.
Saul Levmore is Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School. He is the co-author of American Guy: Masculinity in American Law and Literature.
Summary
A philosopher and a lawyer-economist examine the challenges of the last third of life. They write about friendship, sex, retirement communities, inheritance, poverty, and the depiction of aging women in films. These essays, or conversations, will help readers of all ages think about how to age well, or at least thoughtfully, and how to interact with older family members and friends.
Additional text
Aging Thoughtfully advances that goal, portraying the aging process as both universal and utterly idiosyncratic, and urging us to learn from each other and our shared history.
