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Cover of The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

The Denial of Death

  • 315 pages · about 5 hours
  • First published 1973
  • 21 editions

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1 About this book

The Denial of Death is a 1973 book by American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker which discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of how people and cultures have reacted to the concept of death. The author argues most human action is taken to ignore or avoid the inevitability of death.

It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1974, two months after the author's death. It is the main work responsible for the development of terror management theory, which provides empirical support for Becker's ideas.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: psychology and mythology.

  • Psychology
  • Mythology
  • Grief
  • Death
  • Heroes
  • Myth
  • Psychological aspects of Death
  • Courage

2 About Ernest Becker

1924–1974

Ernest Becker (September 27, 1924 – March 6, 1974) was an American cultural anthropologist and author of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Denial of Death.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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