Age-adapted wellbeing in a Consolation for Old Age:Re-reading Cicero's Cato Maior De Senectute

As part of NTT JTSR’s series on Key Texts, the present article discusses Cicero’s dialogue Cato Maior De Senectute (44 BCE). Over the longue durée of western cultural history, the dialogue has been a key cultural reference. Even today, after the rise of modern gerontology, it is frequently cited. However, prevailing interpretations are hard-pressed to offer an even-handed and plausible view of the text. On the one hand, Cicero is presented uncritically as having anticipated all the latest results of today’s gerontological research. On the other hand, he is ridiculed as spokesman for a male Roman elite, drawing an unrealistically positive picture of old age. In this article a fresh interpretation is proposed, to contextualize and mitigate such extreme readings. De Senectute is primarily a consolation for old age, which uses themes and stratagems of the consolatory genre. It offers a more realistic view of old age than current ideas of ‘successful ageing’ and can contribute to a concept of age-adapted wellbeing

Proportionate Universalism and Public Health:An Analysis of WRR Policy Brief From Disparity to Potential

The article analyses the public health policy brief From Disparity to Potential by the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). It argues that the policy brief presents a distinctive and novel brand of proportionate universalism, a theory proposed by Sir Michael Marmot (2010). The article situates the policy brief in the wider debate on proportionate universalism and offers an evaluation from an ethical perspective. It argues that the WRR’s version of proportionate universalism exhibits two flaws: (1) the definition of socio-economic status is unduly focused on education levels and thus ignores important, health-relevant disparities; (2) whilst the policy brief endorses subsidiarity, it remains focused on governmental and economic actors, ignoring the importance of voluntary associations, such as churches and faith-based organizations

The economics and politics of dedicated funerary provision for migrant and minority groups:A perspective from the Netherlands

The present chapter analyses the economic, political and cultural factors that enhance or limit dedicated funerary provision for migrant and (established) minority groups. The chapter underscores the importance of a clear analysis of the specific local conditions. To demonstrate the impact of contextual factors, the chapter offers an analysis of how migratory trends in the Netherlands as well as cultural, political and economic trends at the municipal level have knockon effects for funerary provision. At the same time, researchers, planners and policy makers need to be aware of a significant “diversity within diversityreadiness”: there is considerable (historical and contemporary) variation of funerary provision that can claim to “include” (accommodate, integrate and/or assimilate) migrant and minority groups. In this vein, the chapter distinguishes four “ideal types” of cemetery design. The chapter argues for a framework (“Eight Factor Framework of specific funerary provision for minority and migrant groups”), which can serve as a heuristic tool for researchers and stakeholders who need to decide on dedicated funerary facilities. The chapter concludes by suggesting that “free fields”, with few restrictions on the placement and adornments of graves, might be a fairer and more cost-effective way of accommodating the ritual needs of members of smaller minorities than separate funerary facilities aimed at different ethnic and religious groups

A New Model of Consolation

This article presents a new model of consolation that identifies five key themes: (1) an appeal to the inner strength of the consoland; (2) the regulation of emotion; (3) the attempt to preserve, re-write, and perfect the life of the deceased or, more generally, a person undergoing a radical psycho-social transition; (4) a ‘healing’ worldview, in which death has a legitimate place; and (5) reconnection with the community at the different levels of, for instance, family, society and humanity. The study is based on the Western tradition of written consolations. It partially confirms—and also supersedes—earlier studies of consolation based on different methods and smaller ranges of material. The article explores the applicability of the framework beyond the consolatory tradition by analyzing two versions of the Roman Catholic rite of anointing the sick. It argues for the heuristic usefulness of the model in the field of ritual studies, both by demonstrating the limitations of prevalent typologies of ritual and by suggesting a fresh look at ritual efficacy

Introduction:Religion, Health and Wellbeing

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