Death might seem to render pointless all our attempts to create a meaningful life. Doesn’t meaning require transcending death through an afterlife or in some other way? On the contrary, Dean Rickles argues, life without death would be like playing tennis without a net. Only constraints—and death is the ultimate constraint—make our actions meaningful. In Life Is Short, Rickles explains why the finiteness and shortness of life is the essence of its meaning—and how this insight is the key to making the most of the time we do have.
Life Is Short explores how death limits our options and forces us to make choices that forge a life and give the world meaning. But people often live in a state of indecision, in a misguided attempt to keep their options open. This provisional way of living—always looking elsewhere, to the future, to other people, to other ways of being, and never committing to what one has or, alternatively, putting in the time and energy to achieve what one wants—is a big mistake, and Life Is Short tells readers how to avoid this trap.
By reminding us how extraordinary it is that we have any time to live at all, Life Is Short challenges us to rethink what gives life meaning and how to make the most of it.
Awards and Recognition
- A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year
Dean Rickles is professor of history and philosophy of modern physics at the University of Sydney, Australia, where he is also a director of the Sydney Centre for Time. His many books include Covered with Deep Mist: The Development of Quantum Gravity and A Brief History of String Theory.
"Illuminating. . . . Rickles aims to provide a panacea for those facing death anxiety. . . . Bound to be ameliorative for any member of the human species."—Skye C. Cleary, Times Literary Supplement
"Rickles, a philosophy of modern physics professor at the University of Sydney, investigates how to live a meaningful life in this charming and profound outing. . . . This brief volume packs a punch."—Publishers Weekly
"A meditative gem that is as intellectually astute as it is accessible. Readers will find much to help them in their efforts to live more mindfully—and with significantly greater appreciation."—Shelf Awareness starred review
"Engaging."—David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer
"A sophisticated yet accessible reflection on how the reality of death makes human choices meaningful."—Choice Reviews
“A stirring and useful reminder that the key to a fulfilling life is not more time but time spent more intentionally. Dean Rickles draws on philosophy and science to show us that the future is open: our life stories aren’t written yet because we’re the ones who have to help write them. An inspiring read.”—Amanda Gefter, author of Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn
“A brilliant and brilliantly condensed dose of perspective, jolting the reader into a fresh understanding of the paradoxical truth that death is what makes life worth living. We can’t wriggle free from our human limitations—but Dean Rickles demonstrates, with clarity and wit, how to be free within them.”—Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
“Our lives are limited—in space, in time, in possibility. In Life Is Short, Dean Rickles encourages us to stop trying in vain to transcend these limits and instead to appreciate them, to properly situate ourselves in the flow of time, and to find meaning in our relationship with our present and future selves.”—Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
