Abstract

AURENQUE STEPHAN, Diana. Phenomenology of Old Age and the Body as an Anchor to Time: “One must have to be old to realize how short life truly is”. Valenciana [online]. 2021, vol.14, n.27, pp.147-168.  Epub Apr 23, 2021. ISSN 2007-2538.  https://doi.org/10.15174/rv.v13i27.479.

Old age constitutes a stage in human development that is less systematically studied by philosophy. Recently, in the last few years, a greater number of works has appeared about old age, most likely due to new ethical, social, economic and political challenges that bring about accelerated aging in the world’s population. Why hasn’t old age had greater prominence in philosophy’s history? Throughout this work, I will show that the marginality should not be attributed exclusively to neglect from the discipline’s proponents; rather that it seems founded in the phenomenon’s own nature. As we shall see, if it is true that old age can be expressed in different human and non-human species, it has a particularly exhausting impact due to our temporal and spatial consciousness. Starting with a philosophical reflection on aging, the work attempts to contribute to the productive and historical relation between philosophy and medicine.

Keywords : Phenomenology of aging; Time; Aged body; Healthy aging; Affectivity.

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