Who wants to live forever? According to Stephen Cave, we all do - every single one of us. Eluding the Grim Reaper is humanity's oldest and most pervasive wish, embedded in our very nature. A desire for eternal life provides the dynamism behind every aspect of human civilisation: science, agriculture, architecture, religion, the arts, fame and family. From freeing your soul to freezing your brain, all these attempts to defy death fall into four categories - the four paths to immortality.

Ranging across continents and cultures, from ancient Egypt to cutting-edge laboratories, Immortality raises the curtain on what compels us humans to persevere. The four paths are ancient, but science is now showing us - for the first time in human history -whether any of them can really lead to infinity. Cave investigates what it would mean for our lives if they can - but also if they can't. If the paths up the Mount of the Immortals lead nowhere -if there is no getting to the summit - is there still reason to live? Can civilisation endure the knowledge that its quest for immortality is futile?

Stephen Cave holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Cambridge and, before turning to full-time writing, worked as a diplomat. He writes regularly for the Financial Times and has also contributed to the New York Times, The Guardian, Wired and others.
Dimensions:0 x 200
Author: Stephen Cave
ISBN: 9781849544931
Format: Paperback
Pages 340