This books offers a philosophical exploration and assessment of the various ways in which human societies have confronted the question of death and mortality. In a very accessible style, the author considers religion¿s attempt to make sense of death, science¿s attempt to evade death, and philosophy¿s attempt to embrace death as a fundamental and defining moment of what it means to be human.

Françoise Dastur is Professeur Emerita at the Université de Nice. Her most recent book to appear in English is How Are We to Confront Death? An Introduction to Philosophy (Fordham).
Robert Vallier¿s previous translations include Maurice Merleau-Ponty¿s Nature.