Death Without Religion

Death Without Religion

What do we do about death? How do we live with the fact of our mortality? Many (obviously) look to religion for answers, but some have a hard time accepting the life-after-death claims of their own religion. The dilemma is not uncommon: Although 80-90% of Americans believe in God, some 25-50% do not believe in life after death (the numbers depend on the study). So when considering death, many of us turn to less spiritual pursuits.

Two recent books attempt exactly that: to explore the nature and meaning of death without religious filters. Shelly Kagan’s Death uses philosophy to define mortality and how best to live with the knowledge of it; Dick Teresi’s The Undead explores how science and technology is changing how we define death—and not for the better.