8 Introduction but  also  biomedical  strategies  to  counter  it.  Moreover,  we would consider alternative approaches such as medical nano- technology, digitalization of personhood, and cryobiological preservation. But this would only be part of the whole. We also wanted to tackle some of the questions that are usually left unanswered in the last chapter of scientific books: If we accept that radical life extension is a real scientific possibility, then where does that leave us? Would it create overpopulation, stagnation and perpetual boredom? How would it change our society, our culture, our values and our spirituality? If science allows us to vastly extend our life span, should we do so? It became clear that a single author, however knowledge- able, could not possibly address this kaleidoscope of topics adequately.  Thus,  we  decided  to  publish  a  compilation  of essays.  Some  stem  from  an  open  call  for  papers,  some  are invited contributions by established authorities in a particular field, and a few are specially selected reprints. From among the numerous contributions, we carefully choose the best in our eyes. Considering the multitude of topics and the quality of the submissions, it was an exceptionally difficult task. The result can only ever be a compromise. A compromise between conveying scientific information adequately, and accessibility to the lay reader; between philosophical depth, and the desire to stress relevancy; and, of course, between limitless curiosity, and the very limiting constraints of space. We hope that you like the result.