Aging as becoming oneself: A philosophical ethics of late life

Enlightenment and modernity have forgotten old age in constructing an abstract ethics of reason, addressing a general rational subject. By contrast, the ancient ethics of happiness asked what a good life might be for people in specific life-stages, such as the aged. It is nowadays important to regain this tradition: What does it mean for a finite being to age but still lead a good life? During the process of aging, a radicalization of our vulnerable corporality and finitude takes place. This becoming-oneself-in-aging can be understood not only in its ethical meaning, but also implies a correction of our modern understanding of man.