Más tarde o más temprano surgen en nuestra vida una serie de interrogantes a los que no es fácil dar respuesta. ¿Cómo reconciliarnos con las vidas que no hemos podido vivir, con los caminos que no tomamos, con la nostalgia del pasado? ¿Cómo aceptar nuestros fracasos, la futilidad de las tareas que consumen nuestro presente o la propia mortalidad? La mayor parte de la gente empieza a plantearse estas cuestiones cuando más o menos ha llegado a la mitad de su vida, cuando la juventud está todavía cerca pero puede otear ya la muerte al final del trayecto.

En este brillante libro, a medio camino entre el ensayo filosófico y el libro de autoayuda, Kieran Setiya (profesor de filosofía en el MIT) afronta los retos de la vida adulta y la madurez y nos propone un paseo (de Aristóteles a Schopenhauer, de Virginia Woolf a Simone de Beauvoir) por distintas obras filosóficas y literarias que nos ayudan a entender qué es la crisis de la mediana edad y cómo podemos hacerle frente. Un libro que, en realidad, como dice su autor, «no es solo para quienes se encuentran en la mediana edad, sino para cualquiera que esté lidiando con la irreversibilidad del tiempo».

I was solidly at the beginning of midlife just as the 2020 coronavirus pandemic blew up. The result was I couldn't tell where my so-called midlife crisis stopped and the global crisis began. My struggles were both private and internationally shared by many. I got to be overly dramatic and pretend my problems were bigger than me and during this particular moment in history it was true. It's quite funny actually, in a dark comedy kind of way.

This book, Midlife, brought the whole near-mythic notion of the midlife crisis down to earth for a refreshingly honest take. I'll start with what I heard a few years ago from my father-in-law, long before I ever heard of the book or its author. My father-in-law said, "It's not a crisis, it's a renaissance." I liked that summary. Without knowing what to expect exactly, and also aware that the experience is different for many, it seemed like it would be reasonably true for me.

My favorite takeaway from this book is that the 'crisis' part has been common throughout history and across genders, and it's caused by your mind coming to terms with all the life choices that are quickly slipping away and/or are closed forever. Simply put another way, and this made more sense to me, starting from birth you have many choices in life but only every choose one in any given moment, but many of those other choices linger because why shouldn't they? You have the rest of your left ahead of you...

...until you don't. Midlife is when the math of your finite existence shifts from you being in the first half to you realizing you're now in the second. Astronaut, NBA star, President... those dreams aren't happening and you know it. But it's not sports cars or affairs either, not for most people. I think my father-in-law was mostly right. It's a crisis... and then a renaissance. it's another journey on the road of life. ( )

If the asymmetry problem — that is, the fact that we often display contrasting responses to our pre-natal non-existence and our non-existence subsequent to our death — captures the frame or extent of our lives, then, I suppose, all of our life is effectively midlife. Here, philosopher Kieran Setiya narrows his focus to what 20th century psychologists and popular imagination identify as the midlife crisis, which typically occurs some time after one’s 35th year. Whether it is induced by an anxiety about the future (Is that all there is?) or regret about the past, whether actions or choices, Setiya argues that the midlife crisis is a real phenomenon. It is, he confesses, one that he faces himself. Fortunately Setiya has access to a philosophical tradition, practice, and insight that, he thinks, will help him deal with this potentially egoistical problem.

Setiya writes with confidence and clarity. Whenever he restricts himself to philosophical matters, I find him clear headed and persuasive. Unfortunately, his goal here lies outside philosophy. What he really wants is to write a self-help book. In the latter portions of the book he repeatedly misapplies the phrase “philosophical therapy” treating it as a synonym for psychological therapy. But traditionally (as least in the anglo-analytic tradition) philosophy serves as a cure for specifically philosophical conundrums. To assuage one’s anxiety, it is generally thought more efficacious to partake of pharmaceuticals or to watch cricket. Thus what starts out as an interesting discussion of a collection of related philosophical problems degenerates into handwaving fluff and adjurements to live in the moment and transform one’s telic activities into atelic practices. Sigh.

What disappoints most of all is that this book is published by Princeton University Press and labelled as “Philosophy” on its back cover. Yes, philosophy, not self-help, self-improvement, or pop psychology.

It’s entirely possible that some readers will find this book helpful. But, I would argue, that it’s also entirely possible they might get just as much (and much the same kind of ) help by watching cricket.

Not recommended. ( )

A very mixed bag. Found the section on "missing out" or the life not lived most useful as someone in their late 30s. The conclusion, although interesting in some respects (reframing from goal orientation for satisfaction to pleasure in performing the quotidian) was a disappointment, essentially recommending mindfulness techniques. ( )

Más tarde o más temprano surgen en nuestra vida una serie de interrogantes a los que no es fácil dar respuesta. ¿Cómo reconciliarnos con las vidas que no hemos podido vivir, con los caminos que no tomamos, con la nostalgia del pasado? ¿Cómo aceptar nuestros fracasos, la futilidad de las tareas que consumen nuestro presente o la propia mortalidad? La mayor parte de la gente empieza a plantearse estas cuestiones cuando más o menos ha llegado a la mitad de su vida, cuando la juventud está todavía cerca pero puede otear ya la muerte al final del trayecto.

En este brillante libro, a medio camino entre el ensayo filosófico y el libro de autoayuda, Kieran Setiya –profesor de filosofía en el MIT– afronta los retos de la vida adulta y la madurez y nos propone un paseo –de Aristóteles a Schopenhauer, de Virginia Woolf a Simone de Beauvoir– por distintas obras filosóficas y literarias que nos ayudan a entender qué es la crisis de la mediana edad y cómo podemos hacerle frente. Un libro que, en realidad, como dice su autor, «no es solo para quienes se encuentran en la mediana edad, sino para cualquiera que esté lidiando con la irreversibilidad del tiempo».