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Thinking Allowed

Image for Immortality; Evil

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Immortality; Evil

Duration:
28 minutes
First broadcast:
Wednesday 11 July 2012

From Victorian seances to schemes which upload our minds into cyberspace, there are myriad ways in which human beings have sought to conquer mortality. The philosopher, John Gray, discusses his book "The Immortalisation Commission: Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death" with Laurie Taylor. The cultural historian Marina Warner joins the debate. Also, listeners' response to Thinking Allowed's recent discussion on the sociology of 'evil'. Professor Barry Smith, the director of the Institute of Philosophy, explores contrasting analyses of 'evil' within modern thought.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

  • John Gray

    Emeritus Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics

    The Immortalization Commission - Science and the Strange Quest to Cheat Death
    Publisher: Penguin
    ISBN-10: 0141041889
    ISBN-13: 978-0141041889

    Find out more about John Gray

  • Marina Warner

    Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, at the University of Essex

    Stranger Magic: Charmed States & The Arabian Nights
    Publisher: Chatto & Windus
    ISBN-10: 0701173319
    ISBN-13: 978-0701173319

    Find out more about Marina Warner

  • Prof Barry C Smith

    Director, Institute of Philosophy

    Institute of Philosophy
    University of London
    Senate House
    Malet Street
    London
    WC1E 7HU

    Find out more about Barry Smith

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