University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Necessary illusions: life, death and the construction of meaning

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 22:19 authored by James Hardie-BickJames Hardie-Bick
This paper introduces the work of the late cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker. Becker argued that the cause of human suffering is directly related to the strategies people use to cope with their mortality awareness. By concentrating on his last two books, The Denial of Death (1973) and Escape from Evil (1975), the aim of this paper is to provide an overview of Becker’s mature theory to show how his work on destructiveness is necessary for developing a socially engaged social theory. Whilst his theory on the human condition explores some of the darkest aspects of human existence, by examining why people are capable of extreme forms of cruelty Becker directly encouraged an honest dialogue concerning our existential predicament. This paper highlights the necessity of Becker’s theory of evil for opening up new possibilities for living in a more humane world.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Oñati Socio-Legal Series

ISSN

2079-5971

Publisher

Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law - Instituto Internacional de Sociología Jurídica de Oñati

Issue

3

Volume

5

Page range

850-861

Department affiliated with

  • Sociology and Criminology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-09-01

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC