Ernest Becker
11 mar 2023
In this book the author deals with death and it's implications (he wrote the book in his deathbed). He deals with the issues of Identity, the existential dualism, sexuality and the construction of heroism. He gives a broad perspective using authors such as kierkegaard, Freud and Adler.
We live in a constant existential dualism between the belief of an infinite soul and a finite and decadent body.
We deal with the issue of death by looking for transcendence constructing identity symbols. Building heroic life projects.
The guilt of sexuality comes from the reminder that we are a dying body by getting us closer to the experience of our body and further from the "holiness" of our soul.
In general the book is a good in depth analysis of one of the most important human problems. It shows us the way we die to teach us how to live. It talks way more about sexuality and Freudian psychology than I would expect, but it helps a lot deal with the anxiety of the undeniable truth of our future death.