Hogan David B, Clarfield A Mark
Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Med Humanit. 2007 Jun;33(1):5-10. doi: 10.1136/jmh.2006.000248.
An underappreciated aspect of The lord of the rings (TLOTR) by JRR Tolkien is in how the author dealt with death, longevity and ageing in the work. During his early years, Tolkien endured first the passing of both parents and then the deaths of most of his friends during the First World War. It was not surprising that a search for the meaning of life and death became a preoccupation of Tolkien. Tolkien's Roman Catholic faith underpinned his thoughts about mortality. He also found solace in Northern myths that held that there was intrinsic worth to courage in the face of our inevitable demise. Along with his colleague, CS Lewis, he took an opposing stand to JBS Haldane, Olaf Stapledon and other precursors of transhumanists, who felt that bioengineering would allow us to extend human life span virtually without limit. Although Tolkien acknowledged the urge to try to escape our mortality, TLOTR is a story about accepting the need to let go with all of the attendant regrets and sorrow.
J.R.R.托尔金的《指环王》（TLOTR）中一个未得到充分重视的方面，在于作者在作品中对死亡、长寿和衰老的处理方式。在早年，托尔金先是经历了父母双亡，而后在第一次世界大战期间，他的大多数朋友也相继离世。因此，探寻生死的意义成为托尔金的一大心事，也就不足为奇了。托尔金的罗马天主教信仰支撑着他对死亡的思考。他还从北欧神话中获得慰藉，这些神话认为，面对不可避免的死亡时展现出的勇气具有内在价值。他与同事C.S.刘易斯一起，对J.B.S.霍尔丹、奥拉夫·斯塔普尔顿以及其他超人类主义先驱持反对立场，这些先驱认为生物工程将使我们能够几乎无限制地延长人类寿命。尽管托尔金承认人们有试图逃避死亡的冲动，但《指环王》是一个关于接受放手的必要性以及随之而来的所有遗憾和悲伤的故事。
