Existentialism and the Desirability of Immortality (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)

This book looks to existential thinkers for reasons to hope immortal life could be worth living. It injects new arguments and insights into the debate about the desirability of immortality, and tackles related issues such as boredom, personal identity, technological progress, and the meaning of life. Immortality, in some form or another, is a common topic throughout the history of philosophy, but many thinkers who consider its possibility (or necessity) give little attention to the question of whether it would be worthwhile. Recent work on the topic has been dominated by transhumanists in pursuit of radical life extension, and philosophers from the analytic tradition who argue about the dangers of immortality. This book makes the case that continental thinkers—including Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Miguel de Unamuno, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir—have much to offer the debate on immortality. For most of these figures, it seems possible that an unending life would not preclude the preservation of personal identity or the sorts of dangers and deadlines required to maintain something like ordinary human values and fend off boredom. The author draws connections between these so-called "existentialists" and demonstrates how they contribute to an overarching argument about the desirability of immortality. __Existentialism and the Desirability of Immortality__ will be of interest to researchers and advanced students working on the philosophy of death and the history of existentialism. This book looks to existential thinkers for reasons to hope immortal life could be worth living. It injects new arguments and insights into the debate about the desirability of immortality, and tackles related issues such as boredom, personal identity, technological progress, and the meaning of life. Cover 1 Endorsement Page 2 Half Title 4 Series Page 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 Acknowledgments 13 List of Abbreviations 16 Introduction: The Hope of Meaningful Immortality 20 The Meaning of “Meaning” 22 The Current State of the Immortality Debate 23 The Meaninglessness of Mortal Life 25 Hope for Meaning 30 Existentialism, Death, and Meaningful Life 32 Chapter 1: Early Arguments About the Desirability of Immortality 34 Socrates’ Ambivalence 34 Pascal’s Wager 37 Kant’s Postulates 38 Schopenhauer’s Pessimism 40 Chapter 2: Kierkegaard on Repeatable Pleasures, Perpetual Projects, and Risk 44 Boredom and Identity 44 The Importance of Repetition 45 Meaning Beyond Rotation 49 Immortality as a Thought Experiment 51 Risk and Value 53 Chapter 3: The Dark Side of Desire: Nietzsche, Immortality, and the Roots of Transhumanism 56 The Transhumanist Agenda and the Desirability of Immortality 56 Nietzsche on Life Affirmation, Novelty, and Immortality 60 Eternal Recurrence and Immortality 64 Not Quite a Curmudgeon or a Transhumanist 67 Chapter 4: Unamuno on Having the Strength to Long for Personal Immortality 70 What We Really Want 70 Death and Injustice 72 Running Afoul of Nietzsche 75 Giving Up on Oneself 77 Chapter 5: Heidegger on Finitude and Value 81 The Higher Bar: God-like Immortality 82 Stages, Risk, and Urgency 84 Being-towards-death 86 Immortality and Inhumanity 91 Chapter 6: Immortality Online: Reasons to Be Wary 96 What Gets Left Behind 97 An Imagined but Not So Far-Fetched Scenario 98 Duties to the Dead 100 Inhuman Resources 103 Facing Death 105 Appendix 109 Chapter 7: Sartre and the Importance of Always Having an Exit 111 Death and the Indeterminacy of Meaning 111 The Finitude of Immortal Life 114 “Hell Is Other People” and the Dangers of Necessary Immortality 116 Indefinite Life Extension and Suicide 119 Chapter 8: Camus and the Absurdist Case for Immortality 123 Meaninglessness and Absurdity 123 Two Types of Suicide 126 Freedom and Revolt 128 Imagining Sisyphus Happy 131 Chapter 9: Grander Ambitions, Rekindled Interests, and Limited Memory in Beauvoir 135 Beauvoir Contra Sartre 135 A Curmudgeonly Tale? 137 Resources for Immortality Enthusiasts 141 Lingering Ambiguities 146 Conclusion: Disappointment and Death 150 Notes 153 Abbreviations 153 Introduction 153 Chapter 1 156 Chapter 2 157 Chapter 3 160 Chapter 4 162 Chapter 5 164 Chapter 6 167 Chapter 7 169 Chapter 8 171 Chapter 9 172 Conclusion 175 References 176 Index 187 Adam,Buben;,immortality;,philosophy,of,death;,existentialism;,continental,philosophy;,Søren,Kierkegaard;,Friedrich,Nietzsche;,Miguel,de,Unamuno;,Martin,Heidegger;,Jean-Paul,Sartre;,Albert,Camus;,desire;,Simone,de,Beauvoir;,transhumanism;,meaningful,death;,boredom;,meaninglessness;,eternal,recurrence;,life,extension;,absurdity Adam Buben,immortality,philosophy of death,existentialism,continental philosophy,Søren Kierkegaard,Friedrich Nietzsche,Miguel de Unamuno,Martin Heidegger,Jean-Paul Sartre,Albert Camus,desire,Simone de Beauvoir,transhumanism,meaningful death,boredom,meaninglessness,eternal recurrence,life extension,absurdity