Can humanity utilize scientific advancement to transcend the biological inevitability of death? Alan Harrington argues that societal acceptance of mortality is a cultural construct that hinders progress, proposing that humanity should initiate a comprehensive scientific effort to achieve physical immortality. He posits that current scientific trajectories are nearing a threshold where death could be treated as a technical problem rather than an immutable law of nature.

Critics and readers often categorize this work as a foundational text in the early discourse of transhumanist thought. While some note the speculative nature of the arguments, it remains a significant reference point for those examining the philosophical shift toward viewing death as a manageable technical failure.