While it seems as though
the elderly were viewed comically in the acting sphere of Classical Athens (as
seen with the statuette in my last post), Plato has reverence for the elderly.
According to Patrick McKee and Clifton E. Barber, Plato’s observations from
over 2,000 years ago of the elderly surmount to the same assumptions made in
the contemporary field of gerontology (93). Specifically, activity and
disengagement theories (why the elderly either continue or discontinue their
routines from their middle-aged selves), gerotranscendence (when there is a
shift from materialistic to metaphysical thinking), “the life review” theory
(reflection and nostalgia in old age), and elderly wisdom are all discussed in
Plato’s work (McKee & Barber).
In the beginning of Republic, Plato describes Socrates’
conversation with Cephalus, an older man. Though Cephalus’ body is
deteriorating, he has found peace in conversation, and this has proven to be
more than ample compensation. Plato writes, “For certainly old age has a great
sense of calm and freedom; when the passions relax their hold, then, as
Sophocles says, we are freed from the grasp not of one mad master only, but of
many.” (Plato, Republic, Book 1). It
seems here that Plato doesn’t just revere old age -- he envies it. Overall,
this is characteristic among his dialogues as well; Crito and Apology discuss
the advantages of old age (McKee & Barber).
It’s becoming clear to
me that there isn’t a singular view on the elderly, which makes sense; there shouldn’t
be a singular opinion. But it seems there may be a difference between the
common view of the elderly and the philosophical view of the elderly in the
time period based on what I’ve read from Garland and Falkner in my previous
posts.
Plato. The Republic. Trans. Desmond Lee.
London: Penguin, 2003. Print.
Do you believe that this difference of opinion regarding the elderly has to do with a person's socioeconomic status? Surely a philosopher may see the elderly as wise and humble. But to a peasant the elderly may seem like a burden. What of royalty's opinion?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we are limited to the scope of those who could read or write, and since this was over 2,000 years ago, there were very few that were literate. The difference of socioeconomic status is something that I've considered, but it's difficult to find texts from the period that examine what an average Joe thought of taking care of his parents because the surviving literature reflects the thoughts and opinions of the well-off.
ReplyDeleteHi Cory, I am a little biased toward Plato, but I agree with your opinion. Wisdom was one of the most important character/virtues for Plato. I think he thought that with more experience there was the potential for more wisdom. This is really cool, I didn't know Plato had anything to do with theories of aging!
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