Should You Choose to Live Forever?
A Debate
1st Edition
Published on 22. November 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
210 pages
978-0-367-61540-6 (ISBN)
Description
Should You Choose to Live Forever?: A Debate addresses a centuries old question in philosophy, but also one with increasing relevance as scientists now see the real possibility of extending people's lives for many hundreds of years.
This accessible yet profound debate from two leading researchers in the area, Stephen Cave and John Martin Fischer, offers:
Engaging philosophical discourse that brings abstract concepts to life through myth, literature, and thought experiments
Balanced perspectives with Cave arguing against immortality (citing problems of meaninglessness, overpopulation, social injustice, and boredom) and Fischer making the case for radical life extension
Structured format with clear chapter breakdowns, summaries, and a three-part debate format that models scholarly discourse
Contemporary relevance, connecting ancient philosophical questions to modern anti-aging research and technological developments
Instrcutors praise this book as the most accessible volume in the 'Little Debates' series, noting its ideal structure for introducing complex literature to newcomers while presenting the most current positions from both authors.
Perfect for courses in Philosophy of Death and Mortality, Ethics, Bioethics, Philosophy of Religion, Contemporary Philosophical Issues, and Introduction to Philosophy.
This accessible yet profound debate from two leading researchers in the area, Stephen Cave and John Martin Fischer, offers:
Engaging philosophical discourse that brings abstract concepts to life through myth, literature, and thought experiments
Balanced perspectives with Cave arguing against immortality (citing problems of meaninglessness, overpopulation, social injustice, and boredom) and Fischer making the case for radical life extension
Structured format with clear chapter breakdowns, summaries, and a three-part debate format that models scholarly discourse
Contemporary relevance, connecting ancient philosophical questions to modern anti-aging research and technological developments
Instrcutors praise this book as the most accessible volume in the 'Little Debates' series, noting its ideal structure for introducing complex literature to newcomers while presenting the most current positions from both authors.
Perfect for courses in Philosophy of Death and Mortality, Ethics, Bioethics, Philosophy of Religion, Contemporary Philosophical Issues, and Introduction to Philosophy.
Reviews / Votes
"Should You Choose to Live Forever? is one of the newest entries in Routledge's excellent 'Little Debates about Big Questions' series, and it's the best one I've read. . . . it's so accessible and well-structured (each chapter has its own breakdown of contents and summary at the end). The book serves both as an ideal introduction to the literature for a layperson and as the most up-to-date version of Fischer's and Cave's positions. I highly recommend it for anyone working on or interested in philosophical issues related to immortality. As Cave and Fischer show, this includes (or should include) just about everyone." - Travis Timmerman, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"Scientists may eventually be able to extend some people's lives for many hundreds or even thousands of years. This book is a friendly argument between two eminent philosophers about whether this would be good or bad for those people. Even if none of us now will be fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be around to experience radical life extension, we can still benefit enormously from this debate's illuminating exchanges, conducted with wit and verve, about death, the meaning and value of life, the nature of well-being, the metaphysics of personal identity, and many other fascinating and fundamentally important topics." -- Jeff McMahan, University of Oxford
"This book will reward anyone interested in the question of whether there's reason to live forever. And let's be honest, that's all of us. Cave and Fischer offer up a timely debate on a timeless issue." -- Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin, Sam Houston State University
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Undergraduate Advanced and Undergraduate Core
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
288 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-367-61540-6 (9780367615406)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
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Available for download
E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€40.99
Available for download
Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€205.90
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Persons
Stephen Cave is the Director of the Institute for Technology and Humanity at the University of Cambridge, UK. His other books include Immortality (Crown, 2012), AI Narratives (with Sarah Dillon and Kanta Dihal, Oxford UP, 2020), and Imagining AI (with Kanta Dihal, Oxford UP, 2023). He also advises governments around the world on the ethics of technology and has served as a British diplomat.
John Martin Fischer is a Distinguished Professor in Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, and in 2017 he was appointed a University Professor in the University of California, one of twenty-two in the ten-campus system, and the only philosopher. He has published widely on the topics of this debate, including: The Metaphysics of Death (Stanford UP, 1993), Our Stories: Essays on Life, Death, and Free Will (Oxford UP, 2009), and Death, Immortality, and Meaning in Life (Oxford UP, 2019). From 2012 to 2015, he was the Project Leader of The Immortality Project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
Lord Martin Rees is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He is the fifteenth Astronomer Royal, appointed in 1995, and was Master of Trinity College at Cambridge University, from 2004 to 2012, and President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.
John Martin Fischer is a Distinguished Professor in Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, and in 2017 he was appointed a University Professor in the University of California, one of twenty-two in the ten-campus system, and the only philosopher. He has published widely on the topics of this debate, including: The Metaphysics of Death (Stanford UP, 1993), Our Stories: Essays on Life, Death, and Free Will (Oxford UP, 2009), and Death, Immortality, and Meaning in Life (Oxford UP, 2019). From 2012 to 2015, he was the Project Leader of The Immortality Project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
Lord Martin Rees is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He is the fifteenth Astronomer Royal, appointed in 1995, and was Master of Trinity College at Cambridge University, from 2004 to 2012, and President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.
Content
Foreword Part 1: Opening Statements 1. Why You Should Not Choose to Live Forever (Stephen Cave) 2. Why You Should Choose to Live Forever (John Martin Fischer) Part 2: First Round of Replies 3. Reply to John Martin Fischer (Steven Cave) 4. Reply to Stephen Cave (John Martin Fischer) Part 3: Second Round of Replies 5. Reply to John Martin Fischer's Reply (Stephen Cave) 6. Reply to Steven Cave's Second Essay (John Martin Fischer) Further Readings Glossary References Index