The book of immortality : the science, belief, and magic behind living forever
Journalist Adam Leith Gollner weaves together religion, science, and mythology in an exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality. Raised without religion, Gollner was struck by mankind's tireless efforts to cheat aging and death. In a narrative that pivots between profundity and hilarity, he brings us into the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality. Combining immersive reporting, rigorous research, and lyrical prose, he charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions, and delves into the symbolic representation of eternal life and its connection to water. Interlaced throughout is a meditation on the nature of belief, showing how every story we tell about immortality is a story about the meaning of death.--From publisher description
1 online resource
9780307368188, 0307368181
1060751429
Intro; Dedication; Epigraph; Prologue: On Finitude and Infinity; Introduction: The Nature of Immortality; Part 1: Belief; 1: We Bereave, We Believe; 2: Journey into Remoteness; 3: The Valley of Astonishment; 4: Lessons of the Teachings; 5: To Sea and Hear; 6: Beneath the Gaze of Eternity; 7: Technical Interlude: Writ in Water; 8: The Magical Fountain; 9: Letters upon Letters: Dividing the Invisible; 10: Almost Real; 11: Let's Run into the Waves and Spring Back to Life; Part 2: Magic; 12: Mystifier; 13: Escapology; 14: The Sorcerer's Lair; 15: Sleights of Mind 16: Technical Interlude: Magick, Eros, Symbolism17: Transmuting Magic into Science; Part 3: Science; 18: Mercurial Times; 19: Preservation's Particulars: Longevity and Longing; 20: Biological Calculus; 21: It Was the Future; 22: Refrigerator Heaven; 23; Secret Santa Barbara; 24: The Harvard Symposium; Conclusion: If ________ Is Possible; Epilogue: Springs Eternal; Acknowledgments; About Adam Leith Gollner; Sources; Index; Copyright
Electronic book