The denial of death
Becker, Ernest2020
Books
Find it!
Winner of the Pulitzer prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, 'The Denial of Death' is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the 'why' of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie - man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. The book argues that human civilisation is a defence against the knowledge that we are mortal beings. Becker states that humans live in both the physical world and a symbolic world of meaning, which is where our 'immortality project' resides. We create in order to become immortal - to become part of something we believe will last forever. In this way we hope to give our lives meaning.
Main title:
The denial of death / Ernest Becker.
Author:
Becker, Ernest, author
Imprint:
London : Souvenir Press, 2020.
Collation:
xxii, 314 pages ; 20 cm
Notes:
Originally published: New York: Free Press, 1973.Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781788164269 (pbk. :)
Language:
English
Subject:
BRN:
670657