Among contemporary thinkers, two philosophers in particular interested themselves in the question of the ages of life, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986). These two companions of existentialist philosophy for all that did not have the same idea on ages.
For Sartre, the adult is a "scoundrel": « The scoundrel is he who, to justify his existence, pretends to ignore the liberty and contingency to which he is subject, arising out of his being human», he demonstrates in Nausea(1938). Three dimensions are to be investigated: that of social importance, a serious demeanour and a great capacity for deception of self and others. Sartre never bows down, according to de Beauvoir, to this adult life which means the end of gaiety and the irresponsibility of youth, the alienation of liberty, the end of the age where all is possible. For her, adulthood did not mean only routine and boredom. Beauvoir saw in adulthood - that of man and woman - the age where one can leave behind the status of child and fully exercise one's « concrete liberty». For her the two difficult ages were youth and old age, where one is not yet a part of human engagement, or one is beyond it. For young people, and for the old, «the world is silent», she wrote in La Force de l'âge.(1960)
Sciences Humaines
mai 2008; n°193
THE STATE AND THE AGES OF LIFE
Mythology and philosophy are not the only takers on the question of the ages of life. The modern state, as it slowly comes into play, will also have its say.
It all starts, this is well known, under François 1er, with the ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts(1539) which orders the keeping of baptism registries at the parish level. The French Revolution transforms this to a non-sectarian form in 1792 with a civil registry. From that time on, every citizen of France has a proper identity, defined by his parents and age. Indeed this is the beginning of the custom of celebrating one's birthday, contrary to the teachings of the Church who see this as a sin of pride!.
These practices permitted the development of a science of demographics, but they also facilitated the waging of war. By enumerating its male citizens, the State could better organize conscription, put in place as early as 1668 by Colbert. The Draft (between 1905 and 1996) will long be seen as a rite of passage into adult life.
Starting in 1880, obligatory schooling between the ages of 7 and 13 will regulate the lives of children and protect them from early labor.
Civil adulthood, in turn, is defined by the Revolution as 21 years of age. But the Code Napoleon extends to 25 paternal control over marriage and the power to exercise correction (including through judicial means) on one's children... At the end of the XXth century, civil majority will be fixed at 18 (1974) and retirement age at 60 (1982): paradoxical, if one considers that entry into adult life occurs increasingly late and that one ages to a greater life span.
Martine Fournier.
Recommended reading:
Philosophie des âges de la vie
Eric Deschavanne et Pierre-Henri Tavoillot,
Grasset, 2007.
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