Aging and The Inner Life
Robert C. Atchley
The Gerontologist March 7, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnr005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that late-life inwardness and contemplation reflect Heidegger's distinction between "calculative" and "contemplative" mind, and that wisdom requires balancing and integrating the two. Contemplative mind, the essay contends, cannot be achieved by striving but only by "letting go into it," and elders who do not naturally develop contemplation may struggle to counter the toxic effects of persistent striving. |
Abstract
Turning attention increasingly inward in late life and spending more time in contemplation are common human experiences and scholars and philosophers have been trying to capture this phenomenon in words for a very long time. Curiously, though, explanations for it are in short supply. Relatively few scholars seem to have understood the allure of the vast inner space beyond what Heidegger (1966) called the “calculative” mind. In that infinite inner space, Heidegger believed that we could experience “contemplative” mind, which thought about and processed experience in a very different way than the rational, logical calculative mind. Heidegger felt that our preoccupation with the calculative surface of thinking distracted us from contemplative deep thinking. Calculative thinking needed to be balanced by and integrated with contemplative thinking if we were to have the wisdom needed to address our human problems. According to Heidegger, to experience contemplative mind, we could not strive for it, we could only “let go into it.” Contemplative mind is not something outside ourselves but rather a vast field that exists within ourselves, beyond the limited range of the calculative mind with its striving to dominate, manipulate, and achieve. Being is the essence of contemplative mind, whereas doing is the province of the calculative mind. These two modes are the Yin and Yang of thinking, and both must be well developed if we are to achieve wisdom. Many elders believe that they should be wise in their old age, but unless they evolve into contemplation naturally, which many do, then they may struggle to find the quality of mind that can balance and neutralize the toxic effects of persistent striving.