This companion and its contributions by the best scholars in the field assure that both the perennial and the contemporary aspects of the human condition are brought together in a way that is amenable to all. Focusing on universal aspects rather than cultural differences, the Companion attempts to capture what it means to live a human life, according to our renewed contemporary interest in the topic. Each of the contributions humanizes the human condition, bringing it home and empowering us to improve on it. Brill's Companion to the Human Condition may profoundly transform our attitudes and our very selves, making earth and human life on it worth fighting for.