Introduction

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, a much greater proportion of the populace will live to be old than in any previous century; this is particularly the case in developed countries, but lifespan is increasing also in less privileged parts of the world. It is therefore important for philosophers to examine what it means to be an old person, or to be a young person alongside old persons, in the present century. This book is an early contribution to this project. Its twenty-seven chapters are arranged in four Parts under the following headings: The Meaning of Aging, The Experience of Aging, The Ethics of Aging and The Future of Aging. The selection of authors reflects the fact that aging and old age have been the subject of extensive empirical study by psychologists, sociologists and gerontologists, as well as by health and medical researchers. The extensive, if sometimes contested, products of this research provide rich food for philosophical thought, and the authors whose expertise lies principally in empirical fields of study of old age have been asked to consider in their essays the philosophical implications of their researches. The result is a collection that brings together a variety of approaches and views that, it is hoped, will help to set the parameters of discussion of age and aging for some years to come.