This book by one of Italy's oldest and wisest intellectuals is a philosophical and personal meditation on ageing. The question of old age has preoccupied writers from Cicero to Amery, but in this volume Norberto Bobbio produces an account that is specific to our times. Born in 1909, Bobbio has lived through the major events of the past century, and his experiences of Fascism, Communism and the Cold War lend his reflections a melancholy that distinguishes them from earlier eulogies on old age and death. Bobbio's conclusions are often sobering, yet his investigation into memory and mortality is written with both humour and emotion. In the opening chapter, Bobbio reassesses the notion of progress from the perspective of an old man. Arguing for an understanding of historical change as the transfer between generations, Bobbio explains how the elderly are increasingly marginalized in contemporary society. Referring to the traditional idea of old age as the 'age of wisdom', Bobbio argues that our ever-accelerating technological progress has dramatically shifted the power of knowledge from old to young. This discussion of old age as a social problem is accompanied by a reflection on old age as a personal predicament. In his elegant and lucid prose, Bobbio confronts the facts of decrepitude and death. In taking stock of his life, he argues once again for the importance of democracy and human rights. This is a beautifully written book that will be of great interest to the academic and general reader alike. Its intellectual content renders it of particular value to students in the fields of philosophy, politics and the social sciences.

This volume explores the significance of old age in Greek and Latin poetry and dramatic literature, not just in relation to other textual and historical concerns, but as a cultural and intellectual reality of central importance to understanding the works themselves. The book discusses a wide range of authors, from Homer to Aristophanes, Sophocles, and Euripides; from Horace to Vergil, Ovid, and beyond. Classical scholarship on these texts is enriched by a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from such fields as anthropology, social history, literary theory, psychology, and gerontology. The contributions examine the many and complex representations of old age in classical literature: their relation to the social and psychological realities of old age, their connection with the author's own place in the human life course, their metaphorical and symbolic capacity as poetic vehicles for social and ethical values.

This book takes a thematic look at the historical roots of the debate surrounding old age and disease.

This book explores the writings of Norberto Bobbio (1909-2004) who was Italy’s foremost political, legal, and democratic theorist, a distinguished historian of political and legal ideas, and one of the country’s most perceptive public intellectuals throughout the second half of the twentieth century in Europe. Bobbio’s work offers a unique vantage point for understanding the evolution of twentieth-century ideologies, in Italy as well as in Europe. His biography, scholarship, and militant writings were marked significantly by the vicissitudes of Italian political history, as the country transitioned from constitutional monarchy to Fascist dictatorship to democratic, parliamentary Republic. These events, together with the international challenges posed by the Cold War, made his life and publications an unusually wide-ranging mirror into the complexities of European history and politics. His native country, in fact, provided him with a magnifying glass to scrutinize the respective principles and contaminations of rival ideological traditions in a national and transnational key. The chapters in this volume, written by scholars based in Europe and North America, combine historical contextualization with historical analysis to illuminate the complex ways in which Bobbio studied rival ideologies, examined the relationship between their past and present, and assessed their potential to forge the trajectory of democracy in the future. This book is an insightful resource for advanced students, researchers and scholars of Politics, History and Philosophy, as well as those interested in Italian and European Studies. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Political Ideologies.

El tema del envejecimiento es total... absolutamente todo existe en el tiempo. A pesar de que la matemática rechaza la noción de que el tiempo pasa, la conciencia humana percibe el envejecimiento como consecuencia del paso del tiempo. Mediante textualizaciones en poesía, teatro y prosa, se pone de manifiesto el sentido y la complejidad de la percepción de esta trayectoria temporal. Por esta razón los artículos que contiene este libro son eminentemente eclécticos y revelan los pensamientos de poetas, cantantes, escritores, críticos literarios, psicólogos, sociólogos y antropólogos.

Peter Bauer, a pioneer of development economics, is an incisive thinker whose work continues to influence fields from political science to history to anthropology. As Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen writes in the introduction to this book, "the originality, force, and extensive bearing of his writings have been quite astonishing." This collection of Bauer's essays reveals the full power and range of his thought as well as the central concern that underlies so much of his diverse work: the impact of people's conduct, their cultural institutions, and the policies of their governments on economic progress. The papers here cover pressing and controversial issues, including the process that transforms a subsistence economy into an exchange economy, the reputed correlation between poverty and population density, the alleged responsibility of the West for Third World poverty, the often counterproductive results of foreign aid, and the effects of egalitarian policies on individual freedoms. Bauer addresses these and other matters with clarity, verve, and wit, combining his deep understanding of economic theory and methodology with keen insights into human nature. The book is a penetrating account of how to develop a prosperous economy alongside a free and fair society and a stimulating introduction to the work of a man who has done so much to shape our modern understanding of developing economies and of the relationship of economics to the other social sciences. "This selection of essays will give readers a wonderful opportunity to learn about the rich world of cognizance and analysis erected by one of the great architects of political economy. I feel privileged to be able to offer this letter of invitation."--From the introduction by Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in economics

"Anton Tchekhov" by Lev Shestov is an imaginative adventure in which the profound philosophies of Shestov seamlessly merge with the enduring stories crafted by using Anton Chekhov. This hypothetical collaboration transcends conventional limitations, fusing existential insights with literary narratives. Within the pages of this conceptual paintings, Shestov's existential depth intertwines with Chekhov's storytelling finesse, giving upward push to a story that defies categorization, straddling the geographical regions of philosophy and literature. Chekhov's characters, molded by way of his astute information of humanity, navigate the elaborate landscapes of Shestov's existential inquiries. The end result is a narrative that not best stimulates the mind but also resonates emotionally. The synergy between those highbrow giant’s invitations readers right into a one-of-a-kind exploration of the human revel in. The tale activates contemplation on existence's uncertainties, the perpetual quest for that means, and the intricate dance between individuality and societal constraints. "Anton Tchekhov" through Lev Shestov gives an idea-upsetting and emotionally rich tapestry, in which philosophy and storytelling coalesce, imparting readers with a novel perspective on the complexities of the human situation.

Translated from Spanish. become a kind of manifesto for Latin American and Caribbean writers; the remaining four essays deal with Spanish and Latin-American literature, including the work of Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal. Cloth edition (unseen), $35. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR