Better days: aging and athletic attitude

Abstract

Plato famously characterized philosophy as practice for dying and death; contemporary philosophers in bioethics have produced a vast literature on the quest for a good death. Yet there is a relative lack of counsel about how best to confront the inevitable physical decline that accompanies aging, a phenomenon of special interest to sporting participants. I begin with a review of what philosophers have told us about aging, particularly as may be applied to sport, distinguishing aging from similar physical impairment. I employ a common view of the grieving process to discuss the notion that aging may be psychologically painful because it threatens a loss of identity. Finally, I examine potential positive alternatives to conceding defeat to the unavoidable effects of time.

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