Ernest Becker

The Denial of Death

1. IDEA 1

   Fear of death drives human life

   Becker argues that the awareness of death is the deepest source of human anxiety. Much of what humans do, he claims, is an attempt to deny or escape this terror.

2. IDEA 2

   Humans are both creature and symbol

   Becker describes humans as caught between being physical creatures who will die and symbolic beings who can imagine meaning. This tension creates anxiety. Becker believed this uneasy position lies behind much of human behaviour, since we cannot escape knowing we will die.

3. IDEA 3

   People seek heroism

   Becker argues that people seek to feel heroic, to believe their lives matter in a lasting way. Heroism helps deny death. In his view, this wish to stand out and leave a mark drives many of the things people work hard for.

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