The future of post-human thanatology

Is death really so unknowable that, as Confucius once retortingly asked, ``while you do not know life, how can you know about death?'' (IW 2013) This retorting view on death can be contrasted with an opposing view by Thales in antiquity: who, as told by Diogenes La"ertius, ``said there was no difference between life and death. `Why, then,' said someone to him, `do not you die?' `Because,' said he, `it does make no difference.' '' (BART 2013) Contrary to these opposing views (and other ones as will be discussed in the book), thanatology (in relation to death and afterdeath) are neither possible (or impossible) nor desirable (or undesirable) to the extent that the respective ideologues (on different sides) would like us to believe. Instead, this book offers an alternative way to understand the future of thanatology, especially in regard to the dialectic relationship between death and after-death (in the larger context of life and death). More specifically, this book offers a new theory (that is, the sequential theory of thanatolgoy) in order to go beyond the existing approaches in a novel way. This seminal project will fundamentally change the way that we think about thanatology in relation to death and after-death (in the larger context of life and death) from the combined perspectives of the mind, nature, society, and culture, with enormous implications for the human future and what Baofu originally called its ``post-human'' fate.