The philosophy of middle age: From projects to process

Hosted by Jonathan Bastian Jul. 23, 2022 Health & Wellness

Kieran Setiya describes his midlife malaise and why hitting 40 can be challenging. Geoff Dyer examines people’s final works and how artists, writers, and tennis stars have navigated their twilight years. Photo by Shutterstock.

Jonathan Bastian talks with philosopher Kieran Setiya, author of “Midlife: A Philosophical Guide” about the meaning and feeling of hitting midlife and how philosophy helped provide answers to Setiya’s own anxieties and perceived failures. Later, Geoff Dyer, author of “The Last Days of Roger Federer And Other Endings” examines what it means to give up something you love and why last works and best works don’t need to follow a chronological order.

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From this Episode:

A philosopher’s guide to the midlife malaise

Philosopher Kieran Setiya shares the perplexities of the midlife malaise — including his own — and explores how philosophy provided him with answers.

31 min

Victory laps: New beginnings at the tail end of our lives

British writer Geoff Dyer takes a look at last days, last games, last performances, and last works of famous people and asks: If you love what you do, why retire?

20 min