Synopsis
"Is a longer life a good in itself? Christine Overall carefully explores the philosophical tradition and current arguments to conclude that living a longer life is better. For those who believe that philosophy should concern real issues of everyday life that genuinely matter to our ability to live well, this book is essential."—Joan Tronto, author of Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethic of Care
"This terrific book should be read by anybody who wants to think clearly about aging, death, or longevity. It takes on the widespread opposition to systematic social attention to prolonging healthy life, laying bare some of its unsavory underpinnings (ageism, sexism, etc.). It also encourages us to think creatively about what longer life could offer us and humanity as a whole."—Laura Purdy, author of Reproducing Persons
"Christine Overall provides a precise, no-nonsense approach to questions of aging and death. Her analyses sparkle with clarity as she dismantles the arguments for a 'duty to die'; and her moral commitments give rise to workable, urgent social policies. Death is accepted as the termination of life; but not as its focus or meaning: in the end, this is a book that does not fetishize death; it celebrates life!"—Grace M. Jantzen, author of Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion