Virtual Immortality - (Cultures of Society) by Krüger Oliver (Paperback)

About the Book

In recent years, ideas of post- and transhumanism have been popularized by novels, TV series, and Hollywood movies. This study examines the historical and philosophical context of these futuristic promises by Ray Kurzweil, Nick Bostrom, Frank Tipler, and other posthumanist thinkers.

Book Synopsis

In recent years, ideas of post- and transhumanism have been popularized by novels, TV series and Hollywood movies. According to this radical perspective, humankind and all biological life have become obsolete. Traditional forms of life are inefficient to process information and too inept at crossing the high frontier: outer space. While humankind can expect to be replaced by their own artificial progeny, post-humanists assume that they will become an immortal part of a transcendent superintelligence. Krüger's award-winning study examines the historical and philosophical context of these futuristic promises by Ray Kurzweil, Nick Bostrom, Frank Tipler, and other posthumanist thinkers.

About the Author

Oliver Krüger is professor of religious studies at Fribourg University (Switzerland). After finishing his Ph.D. at Universität Bonn, for which he received the German Society's Award for dissertations in the history of religion, he conducted research at Universität Heidelberg on the Wiccan movement, and later worked on American funeral culture at Princeton. He also served as president of the Swiss Society for Religious Studies. Kruger specializes in the relationship between media, science, and religion.