Aging and the Art of Living by Jan Baars (review)

Writing in 1874, the Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic Henri Amiel said, “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living” (Ash, 2003, p. 78). Nearly a century and a half later, Baars takes up this challenge in his deeply philosophical reflection on the art of living and, in doing so, adds significantly to the gerontological discourse. Aging and the Art of Living revitalizes the origins of philosophy which began with the search for the good life (e.g. what, if anything, makes life meaningful). The book provides a masterful synthesis of ideas about aging that draws from classical philosophers –such as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and Cicero, among others – to modern-era philosophers including Michel Foucault, Martin Heidegger, Edmund Husserl, and Hannah Arendt. This well-written and clearly organized book weaves poetic insights with precise reflections on topics that include living in time; wisdom; and the meaning of aging.

This book makes significant and unique contributions to gerontology by challenging assumptions, articulating alternative perspectives, and inspiring new possibilities for aging and living fully. Aging is about time, and the ways that we measure, analyse, and experience time are explored using the tools of philosophy. A key argument is that the emphasis on chronometric time is misplaced and has led to a focus on living longer in which aging well is equated with staying young. Chronometric time leads to generalizations about aging that reinforce prejudices in social policies (e.g., mandatory retirement) and ignores the personal experience of living in time in which awareness of temporality is subjective and reflexive. Other aspects of measuring time, including whether time might be reversible or irreversible, are examined. This thoughtful analysis explores how “objective” measures of time neglect the lived experience of time which is more relevant to human endeavors and to understanding aging.

Until recently, science has focused on extending life, rather than on improving the quality of living. This focus has underpinned the development of an anti-aging industry to delay senescing and dying. The desire to live longer presupposes that a longer life is intrinsically better and fails to recognize that “it is not only possible to die too early, but also to die too late” (p. 83). This sense of finitude has profound meaning for living as well as for how we think about dying. Baars is compassionate in acknowledging why we all want to live longer, but his assessment is clear: a longer life is still finite and has value only if that life is of good quality and is not being endured primarily because of a person’s desire to delay death.

Much can be learned about the art of living from ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Cicero, for example, was one of the first philosophers to apply a long tradition of thinking about the art of living to aging as a stage of life with its own value and meaning. Old age has its merits and qualities just as do other phases of life. As Seneca noted in Letters from a Stoic: “We should cherish old age and enjoy it. It is full of pleasure if you know how to use it. Fruit tastes most delicious just when its season is ending. The charms of youth are at their greatest at the time of its passing” (Seneca, 1982, p. 58). In classical philosophy, old age is considered a meaningful part of life rather than merely a time of disengagement and waiting for death. Age brings a certain intensity to being alive – one is more conscious of transience, and having a lived sense of history can enlarge, rather than shrink, perspective. The urgencies of youth have passed, and if one is in reasonably decent health with the leisure and freedom to spend the days as desired, then one can feel “glad to be alive” even when life is almost over. This vision of a “good old age” suggests the possibilities although it doesn’t...