Aging in religious perspective
pp. 101-113
in: Geoffrey Scarre (ed), The Palgrave handbook of the philosophy of aging, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
This chapter provides an assessment of the importance of religious conceptions in our views on aging. Human growth and development – ultimately aging – is inevitably informed by our beliefs. Religious beliefs inform our understanding of birth, life, death, and time. The discussion focuses first on three Abrahamic traditions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These three traditions treat aging in stages or periods. After an analysis of the Abrahamic traditions and their treatment of aging based on religious texts, the authors turn to Eastern religious traditions. They consider the alternative views on aging inspired by Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. They conclude by suggesting that a true understanding of aging must consider the aging person's religious convictions.