Indicating the human wastage incurred by capitalism, Beauvoir argues that 'society cares about the individual only insofar as he is profitable.' This is a moral indictment of society - 'old age exposes the failure of our entire civilization' - and she advocates a radical transformation of the conditions of life to remedy the alienation experienced by young and old alike.

• alienation
• capitalism
• humanity
• morality
• old age
• society
• life
• transformation
• civilization