Key insights from
The Denial of Death
Audio available
13 minute read
Published Dec 31, 1973
What you'll learn
Why do people write novels, start foundations, or grow families? According to Pulitzer Prize winning thinker Ernest Becker, people participate in these meaningful activities to avoid facing their inevitable mortality. At the core of every human act lies a fear of death, nonexistence, and meaninglessness. Still, the very mentality that traps us in the illusion that we’re immune to death is the same mindset that allows us to live life meaningfully in the first place. Drawing upon the work of Sigmund Freud, Otto Rank, and Søren Kierkegaard, Becker leads readers through a poignant observation of human nature and asks an illuminating question—when the fogged glass of life cracks, what will you do next?
Key insights
- 1 Broken bones prove we’re not immortal—this breeds anxiety.
- 2 We create characters for ourselves to act like anxiety doesn’t exist.
- 3 We aren’t who we think we are—we are products of “causa sui” projects.
- 4 Facing anxiety and the truth of death presents two options: fear or faith.
- 5 Our desires need a canvas—transference is vital to humanity.
Similar titles
