Middle Age (The Art of Living) - Softcover

Hamilton, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844651657 ISBN 13: 9781844651658

Publisher: Routledge, 2009

Synopsis

Middle age, for many, marks a key period for a radical reappraisal of one's life and way of living. The sense of time running out, both from the perspective that one's life has ground to a halt, and from the point of view of the greater closeness of death, and the sense of loneliness engendered by the compromised and wasteful nature of life, become ever clearer in mid-life, and can lead to a period of dramatic self doubt.In this book, the philosopher Christopher Hamilton (early 40s) explores the moods, emotions and experiences of middle age in the contemporary world, seeking to describe and analyze that period of life philosophically. Hamilton draws on his own personal experiences of turning 40 as well as a wide range of sources - from the philosophical writings of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Hegel, Heidegger to the literature of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Conrad and the films of Woody Allen - to offer us a philosophy of middle age.Some of the many fascinating themes explored include the strong sense of nostalgia experienced in mid-life, of loss for one's youth, and of regret, the sense that life has become boring, the recognition that one can never fully escape feelings of guilt, and - central to the experience of middle age - the question of what is the point of going on at all. In the light of the 'melancholy wisdom' of mid-life Hamilton suggests that pleasure becomes much more important than at previous stages of life and he shows that the enjoyment of pleasure can be something noble.Insightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking, "Middle Age" is fascinating reading and for anyone heading for a 'mid-life crisis' it is much cheaper than buying a sports car.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Hamilton is lecturer in philosophy of religion at King's College, University of London.

Review:

"Middle Age is offered as a rumination on the mezzo del cammin di nostra vita in all its guises: the autumnal ripeness of the self, the onset of physical decay, the failure to achieve what you dreamed of, the sense of having become a character you never chose to become [but] inside these calm lucubrations, a quite different book is bursting out, like the lupine snouts bursting through of the faces of the periwigged nobles in The Company of Wolves. Actually Mr Hamilton tells you on page one about the terrible thing that happened to him, that blew apart his family and derailed his life and skewed his personality and probably scuppered his marriage, six years ago. But it's only when you read on that you discover, in between the calmly objective discussions about Nostalgia or Success, how intense is his long howl of rage and dismay that human beings can treat their supposed nearest and dearest like this. You realise you're holding in your hand a new genre - the philosophical misery memoir." - The Independent "There is much to provoke the reader's reflections, and a good deal of it is liable to make one feel uncomfortable ... there is an admirable depth of self-exploration here, a relentless striving for honesty, and the eloquent expression of a sensibility that recognizes not only the crud and filth of human existence, but also its joys and delights." - International Journal of Philosophical Studies "A rich and intricate web of personal experience and philosophical reflection, which shows how middle age grittily reveals what has been there all along: the compromised nature of life." - Eisteach: Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1844651657
• ISBN 13: 9781844651658
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160