[SydPhil] Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series - Xavier Symons - 17 April

[Kathryn MacKay]

Xavier Symons | April 17th
Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series
On Old Age – A Relational Account of Agency and Meaning in Later Life

Hi everyone,

Join us for our next SHE Conversation series with Xavier Symons!
Speaker
Xavier Symons - Director, Plunkett Centre for Ethics

Associate Professor Xavier Symons is a bioethicist and philosopher, currently serving as the Director of the Plunkett Centre for Ethics at the Australian Catholic University. Associate Professor Symons has held postdoctoral research positions at Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program and Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute for Ethics, supported by a Fulbright Future Postdoctoral Scholarship. His research encompasses ethical issues at the beginning and end of life, conscientious objection in healthcare, aged care ethics, and the philosophy of wellbeing. In July 2022, he published his first book, Why Conscience Matters: A Defence of Conscientious Objection in Healthcare.

Abstract
On Old Age – A Relational Account of Agency and Meaning in Later Life

Cicero’s treatise On Old Age offers an optimistic account of aging and responds to the prejudiced arguments of those who might otherwise ridicule older members of Roman society. While Cicero’s rhetoric is, at times, scientifically naive and moralistic, this essay argues that there are important insights that can be gained from carefully theorizing later life as a distinct and valuable stage of human existence – a stage of life that ought not be reduced to a mere proxy for health risk. A careful analysis provides insight into the conditions for flourishing in later life notwithstanding a more pronounced expression of the aging process. Some scholars, such as Nancy Jecker, downplay possibilities for agency and meaning in later life and foreground dignity as an overarching value for old age. We argue, however, that agency and meaning are not only possible but central in later life but must be scaffolded by social relationships that enhance wellbeing and the pursuit and realization of life goals.
When
17th April 2025
12:00–1:00 PM
Where
A27, Dean’s Boardroom/Conference Room, Level 2 (Main Entrance from Fisher Road, immediate left after you enter). Joining online? Register here: Zoom registration link <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/egYqCvl1rKiykKwyGcQfncQdMJN?domain=t.e2ma.net>
If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Feel free to share this invitation with colleagues or friends who might be interested.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Regards,
Dr Siun Gallagher
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