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Expecting to relax during a routine flight home, I casually glanced through
the contents of the airline’s magazine and practically suffered a heart attack.
The first feature article was entitled, “How to Live Forever”! Believing for
a moment that Becoming Immortal had been scooped, I tore through the
magazine only to find that the article concerned achieving enduring fame not
eternal life. Relieved but not soothed, I imagined that others, glancing at the
title of my book, might think that I was writing out of narcissism or wishful
thinking. I was not.
Becoming Immortal was conceived as the last of three books intended to
critique current concepts of change in the biological sciences. The first two
books, Death of Life and Evolution of Sameness and Difference, examined
the legacy of molecular biology and provided a perspective on the human
genome project. Becoming Immortal was supposed to anticipate further directions
in research on biological change, but my plan was overtaken by events.
The book ultimately took its direction from a lamb named “Dolly” and prospects
of cloning and stem cell research
My object in writing Becoming Immortal was to give the possibility of
immortalizing human beings a realistic face so that it would be looked at
seriously. These objectives were broad enough for me, and as I pursued them,
I discovered that my narrow interests were shared by numerous friends who
made themselves available to help and guide me. I discovered the work of
authors who are, to put it simply, soul mates in this work. They have undoubtedly
shaped my thinking around such issues as the universality of
evolution and development, as well as the possibilities for change outside of
or beyond accepted notions of biology. |
