Abstract
Beginning from the premise that a primary task of a science is to be true to the character of its subject matter, this article argues the study of aging in the human sciences has not paid sufficient attention to the distinct features of human aging. Specifically, the role of intentional human action (involving purposefulness and selfhood) in producing age-related phenomena has largely been ignored. Paradigmatic concepts of psychology (development), sociology (socialization), and economics (choice) are analyzed with reference to the study of aging. These concepts focus on organism, environment, and behavior, and deflect attention from the task of analyzing the role of intentionality in relation to aging. This circumstance can be viewed as a special instance of the more general modem literary practice of rendering the subject silent, passive, and “objective, ” as reflected in Barthes' concept of “white writing. ” Some possibilities for developing alternative conceptual approaches for the study of aging are briefly discussed.
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