Establishing the Philosophy of Old age based on Theory of Justice

柏拉图和亚里士多德根据他们对身心的观察，展示了对比鲜明的老龄化理论，这些理论为希腊化和罗马时代的老龄化哲学做出了贡献。本书特别涉及西塞罗、普鲁塔克和塞涅卡关于老年人应该如何参与政治和社会的问题。即是比较是否应该承认终身参与财团和政治的重要性和必要性，还是让老年人拥有一种休闲和悠闲的生活方式（otium）更理想。正是这两种观点在老年人在政治和社会中的作用方面的比较被一次又一次地考虑。西塞罗和普鲁塔克根据柏拉图的老龄化理论绘制了一个谱系，认为老年是成熟的时期，强调老年人应该受到教育的影响和作用，以及老年人必须具备高道德标准的重要性。另一方面，塞涅卡重视在远离司法和政治领域的闲暇时间内专注于自然科学，神学和其他教育研究的学习。在伊壁鸠鲁学派中，老年被视为原子和空缺的永恒循环自然机制中的一个短暂部分，在公共性、爱国主义和司法领域被排除在外。

Based on their own personal observations of the mind and body, Plato and Aristotle exhibited contrasting ageing theories which contributed to Hellenistic and Roman era philosophy on the subject of ageing. This especially deals with the questions inquired by Cicero, Plutarch, and Seneca on the how the elderly should be involved in politics and society. That is, in comparing whether or not it should be recognized that there is a significance and necessity in lifelong involvement in consortiums and politics, or is it more ideal for the elderly to have a contemplative and leisurely life style (otium) . It is the comparisons of these two views in the role of the elderly in politics and society that has been considered time and time again. Drawing a genealogy of Plato' s ageing theory, Cicero and Plutarch consider the elder years of life to be the period of maturation, stressing the influence and role of education that the elderly should have, and the importance of the elderly to carry high moral standards. On the other hand, Seneca placed importance on focusing on learning in the natural sciences, theology and other contemplative studies within the leisurely time one has away from the judiciary and political realms. In the Epicurus school, old age is viewed as only a momentary part of the everlasting cycle natural mechanism of atoms and vacancy and is left out of consideration in commonality, patriotism and judiciary realms.