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Who wants to live forever? A look at the quest for immortality

Maria Korneeva
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Getty Images

Is it possible to live forever? And if so, should we even want to? This hour, we discuss the search for immortality, from ancient philosophers to the elixir of life. Plus, a look at immortalizing public figures through obituaries.

Guests:

  • Tushar Irani is a Professor of Philosophy at Wesleyan University studying Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy.
  • Philip Ball is a freelance science writer and the author of “Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science”
  • William McDonald recently retired as the obituaries editor for the New York Times, a position that he held for the past 20 years.

Music featured (in order):

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Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

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Isaac Moss is a producer for Connecticut Public’s "The Colin McEnroe Show." She loves writing about science, agriculture and adventures in your backyard. In her free time, she can be found gardening, cooking and embarking on epic quests. Reach her at imoss@ctpublic.org.