In this unique book, Dekker tackles a largely unexplored dilemma. Our scientific age has equipped us ever better for explaining why things go wrong. But this increasing sophistication actually makes it harder to explain why we suffer. Accidents and disasters have become technical problems without inherent purpose. When told of a disaster, we easily feel lost in the steely emptiness of technical languages of engineering or medicine. Or, in our drive to pinpoint the source of suffering, we succumb to the hunt for a scapegoat, possibly inflicting even greater suffering on others around us. Broad in its historical sweep and ambition, The End of Heaven is also Dekker's most personal book to date.