philosopause

English

Etymology

Blend of philosophy +‎ menopause from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis, “discontinuance”)

Noun

philosopause (uncountable)

1. The informally observed tendency of mature or elderly scientists, who apparently have outlived their most productive years of research and similar practical work, to discontinue or decrease their participation in such activity, in favour of pursuing, and often publishing, philosophical theories or speculations. Commonly the implication is that such works are beyond the authors' recognised field of competence, and, as a result, typically of disappointing value or standard.
   • JUNE 30, 1996, Natalie Angier, The Job Is Finished, New York Times:

     Too many of the characters here have entered the phase of their career that has been called "the philosopause." They have retired from the university or grown bored with lab work, and so have taken up professional cogitation.

   • 1999, Anne H. Soukhanov, Word Watch August 1999 Issue American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition.:

     This term, which is perhaps loosely derived from "menopause," was originally used specifically for neuroscientists, some of whom have tended, as they've grown older, to abandon science-based attempts to map the workings of the brain and have turned instead to more general speculations about the nature of consciousness... The term seems, however, to be taking on a new, broader life, ... in which it is applied to scientists of all stripes.

   • 2003, Marcello Barbieri, The Organic Codes: An introduction to semantic biology, Cambridge University Press 2003, →ISBN:

     My own textbooks and review articles, and (after my philosopause, a change of life that afflicts laboratory biologists of a particular age, and makes them write pretentious books that address the Big Questions) my books ... have presented this alternative view, based in observations and generalisations but without the benefit of a rigorous theoretical model.

   • 2010, Kim Sterelny, Explicating Gould, American Scientist Volume 98, Number 2 Page 162 DOI:10.1511/2010.83.162:

     The current norm of science is that research consists in the publication of peer-reviewed papers in specialist journals. As one nears retirement, it may be acceptable to switch to writing reflective what-does-it-all-mean review papers, and even a book or two: This is known as going through philosopause. Gould went through philosopause early, and Allmon attempts to explain why, connecting the form of Gould’s work as an essayist and book author with his humanism, his liberalism and his interest in exploring murky, large-scale questions.

   • 2015, Fritz Wolf, The hidden German, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:

     ..."It must be fun to philoso-pause at your age."
     "What do you mean?"
     "You know, philoso-pause, that's the jargon, kinda of talk philosophically after all the research work you've done."...
     He looked up at the gray sky..."Screw it, philoso-pause was where creative ideas came springing like Venus from the half-shell."