The worm at the core : on the role of death in life
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A transformative, fascinating theory-based on robust and groundbreaking experimental research-reveals how our unconscious fear of death powers almost everything we do, shining a light on the hidden motives that drive human behavior. More than one hundred years ago, the American philosopher William James dubbed the knowledge that we must die "the worm at the core" of the human condition. In 1974, cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Denial of Death, arguing that the terror of death has a pervasive effect on human affairs. Now authors Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski clarify with wide-ranging evidence the many ways the worm at the core guides our thoughts and actions, from the great art we create to the devastating wars we wage. The fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars, crave fame, put our health at risk, and disguise our animal nature. But the worm at the core need not consume us. Emerging is a unique and compelling approach to these deeply existential issues: Terror Management Theory (TMT) which proposes that human culture infuses our lives with order, stability, significance, and purpose, and these anchors enable us to function moment to moment without becoming overwhelmed by the knowledge of our ultimate fate. The authors immerse us in a new way of understanding human evolution, child development, history, religion, art, science, mental health, war, and politics in the twenty-first century. In so doing, revealing how we can better come to terms with the inevitable and learn to lead lives of courage, creativity, and compassion... a compelling new paradigm for understanding and accepting the end that awaits us all...death!