Terminal Boredom, Longevity, and Narrative

Abstract

I argue for a longevity interpretation of Bernard Williams’s argument against the desirability of immortality and employ it to analyze and critique John Martin Fischer’s narrative model of immortality. According to the interpretation I defend, Williams’s primary concern is not immortality per se, but rather the possibility of living long enough to annihilate the categorical desires and ground projects that confer meaning on an individual’s life, given a specific character. I contend that the longevity framework reveals a challenge to Fischer’s model of immortality, which I call “never-ending stories.” Fischer presents an immortal life as a series of overlapping, interconnected stories. He contends that an immortal life need not be a single, unified narrative to remain meaningful. I argue that narrative unity is essential to satisfy the criteria that Williams insists a plausible model of immortality must fulfill. Longevity is related to narrative unity because it shows that a life story can be extended beyond the point at which a life is meaningful. If the argument works, then Fischer has not provided a model that bypasses Williams’s objection to immortality.