Should We Live Forever?: The Ethical Ambiguities of Aging

In Should We Live Forever? Christian ethicist Gilbert Meilaender puzzles over the implications of the medical advances that have lengthened the human life span, wrestling with what this quest for living longer means for our conception of living well and completely. As he points out in his introduction, "That we often desire, even greedily desire, longer life is clear; whether what we desire is truly desirable is harder to say."

The six chapters of this book take multiple perspectives on issues surrounding aging and invite readers to consider whether "indefinitely more life" is something worth pursuing and, if humans are created for life with God, whether longer life will truly satisfy our underlying hunger.

Author: Gilbert Meilaender
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 01/14/2013
Pages: 135
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780802868695

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/07/2013
Christianity Today 03/01/2013 pg. 55
Christian Century 05/01/2013 pg. 33
Christian Century 04/30/2014 pg. 29
Christian Century 10/15/2014 pg. 27

About the Author
Meilaender, Gilbert: - Gilbert Meilaender is Phyllis and Richard DuesenbergProfessor of Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University inIndiana and a member of the President's Council onBioethics. His many other books include Faith andFaithfulness: Basic Themes in Christian Ethics;Body, Soul, and Bioethics; and Things That Count: Essays Moral and Theological.