Almost everyone wishes that something of them will remain. In twelve parts, we look at philosophies, traditions and thinkers – from Stoicism to cyberpunk, from Nietzsche to Murakami – and ask each time: what follows for what remains of us?
Part 1 · Thinker
Knowledge grows broader and deeper, says David Deutsch. Our knowledge of individual people only grows broader. Why that can change – starting now.
Part 2 · Philosophy
The Stoics thought about death every day – not out of gloom, but to live better. What their practices teach us about holding on to what matters.
Part 3 · Thinker
Nietzsche asked whether we would want to live our lives over and over again. After his death, his sister distorted his work. What we can learn from it.
Part 4 · Philosophy
Emperors searched for the elixir of immortality; Zhuangzi sang after his wife died. What Taoism teaches about remaining and letting go.
Part 5 · Thinker
For years, C. G. Jung recorded his inner images in a private book. It was published almost 50 years after his death. What we can learn from it.
Part 6 · Philosophy
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is read aloud to the dying to guide them through the transition. What this tradition teaches about preparation and passing on.
Part 7 · Philosophy
For around 3,000 years, people have put their questions to the I Ching. What the Book of Changes teaches about change and what remains.
Part 8 · Thinker
In Murakami’s novels, a person lives on as long as someone does not forget them. And he has already drafted his own epitaph.
Part 9 · Philosophy
Buddhism teaches impermanence and warns against clinging. Is the wish to leave something behind compatible with it? An honest look.
Part 10 · Movement
From Neuromancer to Cyberpunk 2077, the genre has played out digital immortality in every form. Its most important warning isn’t about technology.
Part 11 · Philosophy
The Ise Grand Shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years for more than 1,300 years. What Japan’s Shinto teaches about ancestors, renewal and remaining.
Part 12 · Philosophy
Soul, resurrection, rebirth: religions answer differently. Yet almost all of them know a second, earthly way of remaining.
Special edition · Philosophy
Bryan Johnson wants not to die and measures his body like no one else. What follows for our thoughts, values and memories? A thought experiment.
Perrenix is a guided journal with daily reflection questions. Capture what makes you who you are, and decide who can read it, and when. Currently free on Google Play.
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