The Afternoon of Life
Philosophy for the second half of life

Great thinkers on growing older, facing death and finding meaning.

Calm films about one thinker, one text and one real question. Sources on screen, nothing invented, and a closing reflection I write and speak myself.

Free. One short note each week. Unsubscribe in one click.

Sample note
The weekly noteNo. 1

Seneca says life is long enough. We just give it away.

In On the Shortness of Life, Seneca argues that no one would hand a stranger their money, yet we hand out our hours to anyone who asks.

This week's question: who did I give my time to last week, and did I choose to?

David

What the channel is about

Five questions, asked of the people who thought hardest about them.

Aging

What is the later part of life for?

Cicero, Jung, Seneca, Beauvoir
Death

How have people faced death without fear?

Hume, Montaigne, Epicurus, Socrates
Self

Who am I underneath the roles?

Montaigne, Marcus Aurelius, William James
Regret

What do I do with what I got wrong?

Tolstoy, Seneca, Dostoevsky
Meaning

Is there more than this?

Al-Ghazali, William James, Tolstoy
In production

The first films, in release order.

Each film is built on a named primary text. Where a story is a later tradition or the evidence is disputed, the film says so on screen.

  1. FILM 01What Jung meant by the second half of lifeCarl Jung, "The Stages of Life" (1930)Aging
  2. FILM 02How David Hume spent his last monthsHume's final year, 1776, and the accounts of his visitorsDeath
  3. FILM 03What Cicero thought old age is forCicero, On Old Age (44 BCE)Aging
  4. FILM 04Why Montaigne retreated to a towerMontaigne, the EssaysSelf
  5. FILM 05Marcus Aurelius on being forgottenMarcus Aurelius, MeditationsMeaning
  6. FILM 06The crisis that ended Al-Ghazali's teaching careerAl-Ghazali, Deliverance from Error, 1095Meaning
How each film is made

Read first. Write my own view. Then script.

The order matters. The reflection at the end of each film is written before the script exists, so the film serves the question and not the other way round.

  1. 1

    Read the original text

    The book, letter or essay itself, in a named translation, along with what scholars say about it.

  2. 2

    Write the afternoon note

    Half a page of my own view, before any script: what the text asks of me, and where I disagree.

  3. 3

    Check every claim

    Each fact is marked as record, tradition, later source or disputed. Doubtful quotations are cut.

  4. 4

    Script, record, publish

    Narrated in my own voice, at an unhurried pace, with the sources listed under the video.

The weekly note

One passage worth keeping, every week.

While researching each film I find one passage I can't stop thinking about. I send it to you with a single question to sit with. That's all.

  • Arrives once a week, readable in three minutes
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Questions

Before you subscribe.

Is the channel religious?

No. It covers thinkers from many traditions, including Stoic, Christian, Islamic, Jewish and secular ones, and presents their ideas as ideas. You don't need to share any belief to follow along.

How long are the films?

As long as the material needs, usually between 18 and 30 minutes. They are made to be watched slowly, in the afternoon or evening.

Who makes them?

I research, write and narrate every film myself. My name is David.

Is this advice about health or grief?

No. The films discuss what thinkers wrote about aging, loss and death. For medical, legal or grief support, please speak with a qualified professional.