the birth and death of meaning by ernest becker

This prize winning book from 1973 has immense value today because it captures how very smart people explained the world in those days and it is amazing we ever got out of the self referential tautological cave that was being created to explain who we are. So many aspects of the human existence become more clear. This power has been used and abused over the millennia to manipulate and control the masses. However, those same symbols (religion, nationality, race, gender, sports teams, etc.) became our undoing as we reified them and gave them power. As we denied our own mortality the creation of symbols, heros and God's became a necessary coping mechanism. And, as the knowledge of our differences to animal (thought, emotion, rationale thought, opposable thumbs, design and intention) we created symbols to attach meaning to our lives. What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book? What three words best describe Raymond Todd’s voice? As Becker faced his own death, his insights were enhanced and more clear. The poignancy of this moment is not lost on the publisher, nor the reader. The publisher rushed to his home to spend the last few hours with him. It's a fascinating study of human behavior and explains many of the polarizations in the world.īecker was on his deathbed when his manuscript arrived at the publisher.

Becker's book explains many of the symbols used in society and cultures to attach 'meaning' to our lives. The subject is the best, the performance by the reader is OK.

Where does The Denial of Death rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far? Symbology is central to all human behavior

The birth and death of meaning by ernest becker