Endless Endings
Publishing date:29 march 2023
Synopsis:
A scientific exploration of the varied forms, origins, and meanings of death.
While death may be one of life’s most predictable surprises, it has also proved itself to be one of the most fascinating and cutting-edge areas of scientific inquiry. Our bodies and lives tell a story of cellular creation and destruction that can be traced back to Earth’s primordial oceans. Yet when we follow the interwoven thread of beginnings and endings in an effort to discover death’s origins, nature, and meaning, we find that we cannot settle on a single definition of death or even a single interpretation of it. It would seem that there is not one death, but an endless variety of forms, each of which raises further questions about how well we understand death’s counterpoint—life.
Using death as a connecting theme, in Endless Endings, Ricard Solé explores the differing meanings of death in varied forms, reflecting on questions that are pushing forward the frontiers of scientific understanding. What is the physical basis of inevitable decay? Can we manipulate cellular rules to avoid death? What does death mean if life occurs inside a computer? Can a conscious machine save itself from death? Is immortality possible? What does it mean for language, thought, or information to die? As Solé reveals, life’s endings can be just as fascinating and varied as life itself.
International Editions
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USA/UK
Technical Data
| Technical data | Publish date: 29 march 2023 ISBN: 978-84-9199-499-2 Pages: 192 Imprint: Editorial Crítica |
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| Rights sold | Princeton University Press (USA). |
| Reviews | "Solé reveals a paradox: death is not merely life’s opposite but also one of its organizing forces, a constant cycle of removal and renewal through which complex systems are preserved."—New Yorker “In Eastern philosophies, death is not synonymous with an ‘end,’ it is a cyclical endeavour through time. Nonetheless, molecules in a cell regulate death through molecular communications. This marked contrast between ‘endless’ and ‘the end’ is remarkably portrayed by Richard Solé in Endless Endings.”—Banafshé Larijani, University of Bath "This brief book lures readers into contemplating decay and demise on a broad scale, encompassing cells and organisms and entire species, machines and information, languages and cities, even stars."—Tony Miksanek, Booklist “In an age of scientific promise and profound uncertainty, under the shadow of a collapsing planetary ecosystem, this book offers a sober reflection on death in its many forms, from the heat death of the cosmos to the endings of bodies, minds, and information. Solé blends a complex systems perspective with cultural references and a clear voice, creating a modern scientist’s meditation that uses fiction and narrative to return science to its context: finitude, meaning, and the complex rules by which worlds end.”—Sonia Contera, author of Nano Comes to Life |