My second fixed idea is the uselessness of men above sixty years of age, and the incalculable benefit it would be in commercial, political, and in professional life, if as a matter of course, men stopped work at this age.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Osler argues older men contribute less commercially, proposing retirement at 60.
- In plain terms
- Older workers should stop working because they provide less value.
- What can you take from it?
- Retirement policies should consider age-based productivity limits.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we define useful contribution?
- Is age a reliable proxy for value?
Another view
This view ignores the varied capabilities and contributions of older individuals.
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Take the sum of human achievement in action, in science, in art, in literature-subtract the work of the men above forty, and while we should miss great treasur…
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