Todd May

May starts with a simple but hard truth: suffering is inevitable. At the most basic level, we suffer physically-a sprained ankle or a bad back. But we also suffer insults and indifference. We suffer from overburdened schedules and unforeseen circumstances, from moral dilemmas and emotional heartaches. Even just thinking about our own mortality-the fact that we only live one life-can lead us to tremendous suffering. No wonder philosophies such as Buddhism,...

"The fact that we will die, and that our death can come at any time, pervades the entirety of our living. There are many ways to think about and deal with death. A good number of them are attempts to escape its grip. However, in this book the philosopher Todd May seeks to confront death in its power and considers the possibility that our mortal deaths are the end of us, and asks what this might mean for our living. What lessons can we draw from our...