There isn't a sense that in doing it you're exhausting it, as if you could complete the project of hanging out with your friends.'Īs Setiya chronicles in the new book, the concept of the midlife crisis did not really develop until the 1960s, and it has largely been the province of psychologists, not philosophers. 'Reading, or walking, or thinking about philosophy, or parenting, or spending time with your friends or family are activities that don't have an endpoint built in. 'What really matters is that some important things in your life, things you regard as sources of meaning, are atelic,' Setiya says.

(The terms derive from 'telos,' the Greek word for 'goal.') Too often, he states, we are consumed with 'telic' activities: goal-driven projects that leave us unsatisfied in the present. Setiya believes 'atelic' activities-things we enjoy for their own sake-make us fulfilled. Indeed, 'Midlife' has a clear prescription for living well.

In it, he examines the problems of middle-aged happiness, reaches some unusual conclusions-he thinks we should embrace our regrets-and explores how philosophy can help people find peace of mind. Now Setiya has woven these strands into a new book, 'Midlife: A Philosophical Guide,' published by Princeton University Press. 'There's a sense of constraint and limitation and regret. 'There are many midlife crises,' Setiya acknowledges. Then again, existential doubt in midlife can have other sources. You can be aiming to get things done and have an absence of satisfaction.' The thing that gripped me first was a sense of hollowness in pursuit of projects. 'I wasn't wrong to think that teaching and writing and thinking about philosophy was worth doing, but nevertheless, something was amiss. 'I was doing the things I had always wanted,' explains MIT philosophy professor Kieran Setiya, the fellow suffering through the midlife malaise. Instead, he went to his office and pondered matters. Fortunately, this person didn't quit his job, blow his life's savings on sports cars, or sabotage his personal relationships.

Setiya midlife