Halfway Down to Solitude: Ageing as the Process of Engagement/Disengagement through Social Welfare in Finland

摘要: The anthropology of Europe has been illustrated with the western idea modernization, society and individuals. Since individuals have regarded as opposed to each other in modern era, individualism become a popular ideology EuroAmerican society. Louis Dumont defines an that puts greatest value on individual, which is ‘the independent, autonomous, thus essentially non-social moral being, who carries our paramount values found primarily man society’ (Dumont 1986: 25). However, his argument ignores fact even independent self negative well. This aspect individual called solitude. It term for asocial person requisite self. What do these conflicting indicate? One typical example this lonely, conflictive Robinson Crusoe. As already well known argued social scientific discussions (cf. Marx 1909), Daniel Dafoe’s famous novel Life Strange Surprising Adventures Crusoe (Defoe 1719) features stereotypical character represents capitalism. Surviving shipwreck, conducts life isolated island disciplined, proper manner twenty-eight years. For example, he encloses piece unowned land transforms it into farm so can live civilized possible. He produces balance sheet life. described having economic mind. self-independence autonomy are main characteristics modern, capitalist symbol homo economicus (Otsuka 1977). Further interpretation, story also imbued strong sense loneliness. alone until finds (what as) savage native, ‘Friday’, enlightens him. Thus became synonym Although Crusoe’s solitude was physically tangible, condition when ‘socially’ (Shimizu 1999), be society, Manabu Shimizu, argues about from standpoint sociology emotion, states essential quality lies among “the social”’ 1999: 12).