‘Immortality is a long shot, I admit. But somebody has to be first’. Bill Cosby
You know, Bill Cosby was more than just the person whose name you sometimes confuse with Bing Crosby. OK, well he was a lot more than that but for the purpose of this blogpost we’ll focus on Bill’s aforementioned quote on immortality. My point is this: immortality is a subject on which most people have a view, whether positive or negative.
Woody Allen famously said ‘I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.’
‘If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error’, remarked John Kenneth Galbraith.
I could go on, but we’ll just cut to the chase. Who wants to live forever? According to Stephen Cave, we all do – every single one of us. And the evidence is all around, as he demonstrates in Immortality: The Quest To Live Forever and How It Drives Civilisation.
Eluding the Grim Reaper is humanity’s oldest and most pervasive wish. It is embedded in our very nature and provides the real driving force 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 simple 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 keep on going. 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? And can civilisation survive?
You’ll have to get your hands on a copy of the book to find out, but besides the fate of civilisation, there is another reason why you might want to get yourself a copy. It has been named as one of the New Scientist’s 10 best popular science books of 2012! We’re absolutely thrilled, and you can buy a copy here.