This paper analyzes several moral, religious, and social issues relevant
to being old in America during the last decades of the twentieth century.
Specifically, I explore some ethical and religious dimensions of the
relations of freedom and dependence, sickness and health, and meaning
and value in the geriatric context. Are there positive alternatives to our
prevailing images of aging as illness, disease, or decline? Is "dependence
with dignity" a realistic possibility for many elderly people? On the
basis of both Western and non- Western moral and religious traditions,
my answer is a qualified but insistent Yes.
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