Waiting in Joyful Hope: Reflections on Humanity's Desire for Immortality and Its Possibility

By Matthew Allen Newland

It is said that the thirst for immortality drives civilization. The desire for it lies at the heart of some of history's greatest achievements. Immortality is the focus of the earliest known work of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh, written some 4000 years ago, while today's scientists are hard at work on the task of extending human life beyond its current natural limits. The quest to live forever continues. But why do we want to live forever? And is immortality even possible? It seems easy to imagine it (at least at first ), but after considering the idea a little more carefully, problems become obvious. Boredom, loneliness, and the effects (or ravages) of time on the body and the mind might all take their toll as the ages pass. These subjective problems, together with the more objective question of how a body might live forever, are all considered in this book. Though short, it is a survey that explores mythology, philosophy, anthropology, religious ideas, and futurist speculations in an attempt to understand the true meaning of immortality and whether or not we have reason to hope for (or dread) it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1511450584
• ISBN13: 9781511450584
• Release Date: June 2014
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"