{"product_id":"aging-and-the-art-of-jan-baars-9781421406466","title":"Aging and the Art of Living","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBaars explores philosophers from Plato to Foucault as they consider the meaning of aging--and wisdom--in our society.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this deeply considered meditation on aging in Western culture, Jan Baars argues that, in today's world, living longer does not necessarily mean living better. He contends that there has been an overall loss of respect for aging, to the point that understanding and \"dealing with\" aging people has become a process focused on the decline of potential and the advance of disease rather than on the accumulation of wisdom and the creation of new skills. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo make his case, Baars compares and contrasts the works of such modern-era thinkers as Foucault, Heidegger, and Husserl with the thought of Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles, Cicero, and other Ancient and Stoic philosophers. He shows how people in the classical period--less able to control health hazards--had a far better sense of the provisional nature of living, which led to a philosophical and religious emphasis on cultivating the art of living and the idea of wisdom. This is not to say that modern society's assessments of aging are insignificant, but they do need to balance an emphasis on the measuring of age with the concept of \"living in time.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerontologists, philosophers, and students will find Baars' discussion to be a powerful, perceptive conversation starter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jan Baars\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1421406462\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781421406466\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Johns Hopkins University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.19lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2013","brand":"Jan Baars","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44131115565311,"sku":"9781421406466","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_cabd341d-107b-4497-88fd-f8a8c361b681.jpg?v=1687473099","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/aging-and-the-art-of-jan-baars-9781421406466","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}