Natural causes : an epidemic of wellness, the certainty of dying, and killing ourselves to live longer / Barbara Ehrenreich.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ehrenreich, Barbara, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Death--United States--Sociological aspects.

Death.

Aging--United States--Sociological aspects.

Aging.

Aging--United States--Psychological aspects.

Death--Sociological aspects.

United States.

Psychological aspects.

Aging--Prevention.

Medicine, Preventive.

Local Subjects:

Death--Sociological aspects.

Aging.

Physical Description:

xv, 234 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Twelve, 2018.

Summary:

Barbara Ehrenreich explores how we are killing ourselves to live longer, not better. She describes how we over-prepare and worry way too much about what is inevitable. One by one, Ehrenreich topples the shibboleths that guide our attempts to live a long, healthy life, from the importance of preventive medical screenings to the concepts of wellness and mindfulness, from dietary fads to fitness culture. We tend to believe we have agency over our bodies, our minds, and even over the manner of our deaths. But the latest science shows that the microscopic subunits of our bodies make their own "decisions," and not always in our favor. We may buy expensive anti-aging products or cosmetic surgery, get preventive screenings and eat more kale, or throw ourselves into meditation and spirituality. But all these things offer only the illusion of control. How to live well, even joyously, while accepting our mortality -- that is the philosophical challenge of this book.

Offers insight into healthcare practices, identifying the cellular sources of aging and illness and revealing that aggressive treatments provide an illusion of control and survivability at the cost of life quality.

"Bestselling author ... Barbara Ehrenreich explores how we are killing ourselves to live longer, not better. A razor-sharp polemic which offers an entirely new understanding of our bodies, ourselves, and our place in the universe, NATURAL CAUSES describes how we over-prepare and worry way too much about what is inevitable. One by one, Ehrenreich topples the shibboleths that guide our attempts to live a long, healthy life--from the importance of preventive medical screenings to the concepts of wellness and mindfulness, from dietary fads to fitness culture. But NATURAL CAUSES goes deeper--into the fundamental unreliability of our bodies and even our 'mindbodies,' to use the fashionable term. Starting with the mysterious and seldom-acknowledged tendency of our own immune cells to promote deadly cancers, Ehrenreich looks into the cellular basis of aging, and shows how little control we actually have over it. We tend to believe we have agency over our bodies, our minds, and even over the manner of our deaths. But the latest science shows that the microscopic subunits of our bodies make their own "decisions," and not always in our favor. We may buy expensive anti-aging products or cosmetic surgery, get preventive screenings and eat more kale, or throw ourselves into meditation and spirituality. But all these things offer only the illusion of control. How to live well, even joyously, while accepting our mortality--that is the vitally important philosophical challenge of this book. Drawing on varied sources, from personal experience and sociological trends to pop culture and current scientific literature, NATURAL CAUSES examines the ways in which we obsess over death, our bodies, and our health. Both funny and caustic, Ehrenreich then tackles the seemingly unsolvable problem of how we might better prepare ourselves for the end--while still reveling in the lives that remain to us."--Dust jacket.

Contents:

Midlife revolt

Rituals of humiliation

The veneer of science

Crushing the body

The madness of mindfulness

Death in social context

The war between conflict and harmony

Cellular treason

Tiny minds

"Successful aging"

The invention of the self

Killing the self, rejoicing in a living world.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-234).

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Shober Family Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781455535910

1455535915

9781538747117

1538747111

OCLC:

1029552797