Churning the Ocean of Milk: Hindu Tantrism and Radical Life Technologies

Abstract

Around the world, the quest to extend human life has fascinated people since the dawn of recorded history. In the current era, technologies for life extension have reached their apex. Modern scientific discoveries in genetics, nanotechnology, robotics, and other areas offer many potential avenues for extending the human lifespan. Each day, scientists gain greater knowledge about the causes of biological decay and the means to eradicate fatal ailments. As new technologies emerge in light of this rapidly deepening field of knowledge, a complex and rich set of philosophical and theological questions challenges the world’s scholars, theologians, philosophers, humanitarians, politicians, scientists, doctors, and leaders.¹