Over the course of
compiling my primary and secondary sources in the outline, I have made huge
strides in forming a thesis. The variety of perceptions in ancient Athens were
difficult to fathom as a whole, and this became convoluted when I realized the
perceptions in the pre-Classical and Classical eras were not different enough
to compare and contrast. Ultimately, I’ve decided that the fixation on wisdom
in old age indicates its importance. I want to argue that wisdom was a
necessity in old age in ancient Athens because it compensates for an elders’
physical ability and burden.
In a nutshell, here is
my current rationale:
The physical plights of
the elderly and the burden of care compose a significant part of the negative
perceptions in ancient Athens because they limited a person’s utility in
society. To regain or continue contributing to Athens, elders had to fulfill
the roles of counselors.
From the primary sources
I’ve examined, Aristotle is the only figure who believes that the elderly are
inferior for something other than their declining health. As mentioned in
previous posts, he thinks that the elderly are morally inept because they are
passionless, conniving, and fickle (109-111). He also states, “They guide their
lives by reasoning more than by moral feeling; reasoning being directed to
utility and moral feeling to moral goodness” (Aristotle 110). On the surface,
this statement contradicts my thesis in the way that I believe wisdom is a
positive attribute, but in reality, the elderly did not have a choice but to be wise. Therefore, it is not a
matter of ethics as much as it is survival.
Aristotle. Rhetoric. Trans. W. Rhys Roberts. Hazelton: Electronic Classics Series, 2010. Web.
You might be right that the quote is contradictory; however, could you compare Aristotle saying that to images we have of him which typically portray him as gray headed? Perhaps as a way to contradict Aristotle?
ReplyDeleteEvan,
DeleteIt is true that the sculptures of Aristotle and other philosophers at a sense of regality to them, but to my knowledge, many of the busts were made in the Roman era since many sculptures of the Greek era were destroyed in war and other invasions. I found one on Artstor from the Classical period that "may" be Aristotle, but since it's not definitive I don't think I can use it in my analysis.
Cory, this is so cool!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see your project heading in this direction. The thesis seems very fitting of the time, quite possibly even protruding into modern day society (to an extent). I could see someone responding to this by stating that perhaps old age was a sign of youthful prosperity. One could only acquire seniority by living a quality life as a young blooming scholar. Perhaps societies reverence towards them (as famous poets, scholars, mathematicians etc.) allowed them to live exuberantly, and granted them life into later years.
I haven't covered this topic much, so I'm really just spit-balling, but maybe this could be considered a possible objection to your claim.
Best of luck to you!
Cameron,
DeleteThat is an important thing to consider, so I would have to make sure that my argument doesn't exclude that option. At the same time, I don't think the concept of utility eliminates the fact that many intellectuals did profit from their work (but I may not be understanding your comment fully, so correct me if I'm wrong!).