In his famous work "Del sentimiento trágico de la vida en los hombres y en los pueblos" (The Tragic Sense of Life), from which the first three chapters have been selected for this edition, Unamuno addresses in very personal terms the fear of death of modern man who strives for eternal life.  The main aim of this treatise should be to arrive at an understanding of the "meaning of the universe" through sociological and ethical knowledge. Thus, the author asks about the basic human need, the "insatiable need for immortality". The starting point of the reflections is the human condition "of flesh and blood" and its fundamental longing for permanence.