Philology of friendship
Lessons for modern mental health and quality of life
Dear readers,
Before we start with today’s newsletter here are some upcoming Network Capital events -
NC Oxford Meetup on Nov 7, 2023
NC London Diwali Dinner on Nov 10, 2023
NC Toronto Meetup on Nov 11, 2023
NC Delhi Winer Bash on Nov 18, 2023
NC Hyderabad Meetup on Nov 18, 2023
NC Mumbai Meetup on Nov 25, 2023
2021 to 2030 is UN’s decade of healthy aging. As global populations get older in most parts of the world and lifespans get longer, questions and concerns of lifespans become important. Within this quest of quality lifespans, the epidemic of loneliness becomes an important challenges that policy professionals and health practitioners are dealing with.
I meet one just practitioner last week. He is a student of medicine at Oxford, who has taken a break from his medical studies to spend time making sense of friendships. At the moment he is moonlighting as a classicist and researching on the ‘philology of friendship’ in 20th century Britain. Let’s call him AT.
What does philology of friendship mean?
Philology, in its broadest sense, is the study of language in historical texts and its development over time. When applied to friendship, the philology of friendship may involve examining how language, literature, and cultural representations have shaped our understanding of friendship throughout history.