Reddit reviews Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives

this book will blow your mind

Great answers so far! I should add another couple of suggestions myself: The Athenian Murders, by Jose Carlos Somoza, which is about Platonic ideas and the notion of translation; Sum, by David Eagleman, which is a set of vignettes about possible afterlives; works by Irish Murdoch (e.g. The Bell and The Black Prince); and works by Rebecca Goldstein (e.g. The Mind-Body Problem).

> I equate my agnosticism to a monkey (or an ant) trying to understand an atomic bomb.

Fantastic analogy.

> There is only the search for more understanding in the hope that the future will be able to comprehend a little more than we do.

Or, perhaps all answers will be revealed after our death. Or, maybe not, and we won't care about it anymore. Or maybe we'll somehow move to another plane of existence, forgetting all past lives, etc.

I know it's somewhat futile to comprehend, but I sometimes enjoy the mystery. Kind of like what David Eagleman ponders in his book, "Sum"

Found it! Looks like a good read :)

http://www.amazon.com/Sum-Forty-Afterlives-David-Eagleman/dp/0307389936

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: this book will blow your mind


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




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I really enjoyed the book Sum by David Eagleman. It's been praised by both religious and non-religious alike. It's essentially 40 meditations on possibilities of the afterlife.
Sum
I'm sorry for your loss. The book might not help if you're looking for answers, but it's great stuff to think about and an easy read.

1.) Blue: a classic, blue jeans. Need I say more?

2.) Summer: what says summer more than memories of being a kid and making sandcastles? Exactly .

3.) Food related: okay, so this is personal. I am Italian and no one I have ever met has this in their homes. We make our pizzas in normal ovens or just go down the street to one of the many takeaway restaurants. What is a pizza oven and why does anyone need one!

4.) Someone else: I decided to go random wishlist on this and what better way to learn something new about someone that go through their lists?! So I got /u/krispykremedonuts and her wishlists are full of amazing things. And a lot of socks. Someone get this girl some socks! I would get her socks. 😂

5.) Book: you need to read Sum: 40 tales from the afterlives. I recommend this to anyone who would listen. It's 'speculative fiction,' whatever that means, but essentially it's 40 short stories about what may happen after we die. It may sound weird, but seriously, trust me. Read the wiki page of it if you need to be convinced or the Amazon product description. It really makes you think and sticks with you!

6.) Under $1: This was hard! But I found the cutest mini-pens. One dollar, free shipping, AND adorable. BAM!

7.) Dogs: I've been considering getting this fancy brush. It's supposed to be super good for dogs with long hair!

8.) Not useful but awesome: Okay, so I have been obsessed with the idea of being able to print photos from my phone since forever. Useful? Most definitely not, awesome...HECK YES! Check this out!!!


9.) Movie: Life is Beautiful. It's about selfless love. It's beautiful and I can't speak more about it without bursting into tears. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT. It's incredibly beautiful and moving.

10.) Zombies: You definitely need a machete to defend yourself. This is even sharp on both sides!!!

11.) Needs and current goals: At this moment in my life, any sort of clothing would change my life because there is only so much sewing you can do before your clothes start looking very sad. BUT, since it has to do with current goals, a pair of workout leggings would really help in my workout goals! I've lost 3kg in the past 3 months! It's not a lot, but damn I'm SO happy :D :D :D

12.) Add-On item: Oh, add-ons...groans

13.) Fandom: CAW!

14.) So expensive: $11,703.38 carpet cleaner. I don't even know. But at least it has free shipping!

15.) Sharks: temporary tattoos!

16.) Good smells: I adore the smell of rosemary.

17.) Toy: I absolutely loved my jump rope. I had the red one! I got super good at it and my friends and I would jump rope together around the neighborhood like a bunch of weirdos. Such good memories though :D

18.) Writers: never underestimate the need of coffee in any job you may have.

19.) Current obsession: so it's almost summer and I am obsessing over which ankle bracelet I want. I feel naked without them. It's a problem 😂

20.) Random: this is what I got one of my last contest winners. I saw it on one of their wishlists and couldn't resist!!!

I like Possibilianism.

Here's David Eagleman, a neuro scientist and an authentic genius of our times introducing the concept of Possibilianism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS0b4QCpFGc .

Highly recommended video! Must see for every /r/atheism breed atheist.

Edit: I also highly recommend the book Sum, a collection of short stories by David Eagleman.

Oh gosh, I'm actually kind of horrible about reading! Some of my favorite little books are:

• Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. It's a bunch of short stories about different universes based on some of Einstein's theories. For example, one of them is kind of like, "In this universe, time flows backwards. A woman picks a moldy peach out of her trashcan, puts it on her counter to ripen..." They're really interesting! It's a quick and wonderful read.
  
  
• Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman is similar to the aforementioned book. Short stories about different afterlives. It's not a religious thing though. I was actually rereading it this afternoon! Really interesting ideas, some romantic, some ironic, cute, sad, etc. I think it could spark some great conversation.

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

Amazing short stories - He starts with a premis about what the afterlife is like, then follows it through to its conclusion. The author is mostly a scientist, but also has dome some writing.

Very good stories that make you think. Although, some of them made my wife "too sad".

David Eagleman, a neuroscientist, wrote Sum, a really interesting book of short stories about hypothetical afterworlds.

Have you read Sum by David Eagleman? There's a story in there called Subjunctive that's basically this.

If you like this quote, you may like this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Sum-Forty-Afterlives-David-Eagleman/dp/0307389936

This?

I recall a podcast where they mention that story in to this book.