Abstract
Theories of human nature might provide the keys to discovering the purpose and meaning of later life. But such theories have come under fire in recent decades, as they have been found to harbor covert or overt messages of a clearly prejudicial kind. Critiques of colonialism, gender stereotypes, and sexual orientation have destabilized arguments from nature. Likewise, naturalistic accounts of aging and later life have also been subject to critical analysis as modernist societies struggle to valorize, find guidance for, or liberate what it means to grow old. Four contrasting accounts of later life reveal underlying theories of nature that either support an inherent sense of purposes and social norms or, conversely, cast doubt on any imperative for how older adults should live out their later years. In the quest for meaning in later life, philosophically, should we “do what comes naturally?”
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Notes
- 1.
Challenging stereotypes of old age and relations between generations, the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude presented the macabre love affair between an eccentric, death-obsessed 20-year-old and a free-spirited 79-year-old. In contrast, Cocoon’s retirees are more typical middle-class US-Americans.
- 2.
Because they recognize historical and/or evolutionary change, the four perspectives reflected in the Moody-Sasser selections might be described as post-metaphysical as far as characterizing human nature. They are not based on fixed and therefore immutable essences. That being said, elements of classical metaphysics, such as Aristotle’s assertion that every entity (including members of the human species) has its goal of actualization or telos, are echoed in many modern-day psychological theories of human development such as Erikson’s.
- 3.
See Wehrle, Chap. 6 in this volume.
- 4.
For an excellent summary of the critical gerontological literature on SA, see Rubinstein and de Medeiros (2015).
- 5.
Moody and Sasser include brief summaries of views about the meaning of old age in the traditions of Asian religions including Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and the Japanese Ikigai spiritual orientation. While these spiritual outlooks underscore the virtue of filial piety and culturally designated roles of the older person, they also promote fixed notions about stages of life and social caste that have often brought tradition and modernity into conflict. The Christian concept of sin or fallenness as a critical feature of human nature and the quest for salvation in old age remains outside the purview of Moody and Sasser’s review of the search for meaning.
- 6.
See Kunz, Chap. 19 in this volume.
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Manheimer, R.J. (2020). Should We Do What Comes Naturally? The Quest for Meaning in Old Age. In: Schweda, M., Coors, M., Bozzaro, C. (eds) Aging and Human Nature. International Perspectives on Aging, vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25097-3_15
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