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Ernest Becker Quotes

Anthropologist

Ernest Becker was an American anthropologist known for his theories on human motivation and culture. His major work, 'The Denial of Death', explores how humans seek meaning and purpose by denying the fear brought by freedom.

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All Men Animal Denial Of Death Existential Self Death Philosophy Problem Evil Guilt Human Humans Ifs Order Seems World Doe Ernest Becker Existentialism Lying

Famous Ernest Becker Quotes

“Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level.”

Men Levels Endure Existentialism Translate Existential Meaningfulness Denial Of Death

Book:The Denial of Death

Source: The Denial of Death

“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”

Mean Doe Enough Reality Lying Honest Illusion Ideals Mental Health Justify Compelling Existential Commandments Life Death Lives Of Others

Book:The Denial of Death

Source: The Denial of Death

“the best existential analysis of the human condition leads directly into the problems of God and faith”

Humans Problem Conditions Analysis Existentialism Human Condition Existential Denial Of Death

Book:The Denial of Death

Source: The Denial of Death

“Obviously, all religions fall far short of their own ideals.”

Fall Ideals Existential Denial Of Death

Book:The Denial of Death

Source: The Denial of Death

“...Erich Fromm wondered why most people did not become insane in the face of the existential contradiction between a symbolic self, that seems to give man infinite worth in a timeless scheme of things, and a body that is worth about 98¢.”

People Men Giving Self Body Seems Faces Infinite Insane Contradiction Schemes Existential Timeless Symbolic Fromm

Author:Ernest Becker

“We might say that psychoanalysis revealed to us the complex penalties of denying the truth of man's condition, what we might call the costs of pretending not to be mad.”

Men Might Conditions Cost Mad Complexes Pretending Existential Penalties Psychoanalysis Denying The Truth

Book:The Denial of Death

Source: The Denial of Death

“The greatest cause of evil included all human motives in one giant paradox. Good and bad were so inextricably mixed that we couldn't make them out; bad seemed to lead to good, and good motives led to bad. The paradox is that evil comes from man's urge to heroic victory over evil.”

Men Humans Evil Causes Victory Motive Giants Urges Paradox Heroic Existential Good And Bad

Author:Ernest Becker

“Man's natural and inevitable urge to deny mortality and achieve a heroic self-image are the root causes of human evil.”

Men Humans Self Evil Causes Natural Achieve Roots Deny Inevitable Urges Mortality Heroic Existential Root Cause

Book:Escape from Evil

Source: Escape from Evil

“All power is in essence power to deny mortality.”

Essence Deny Mortality Existential

Book:Escape from Evil

Source: Escape from Evil

About the Author

Born: September 27, 1924
Died: March 6, 1974
Known for: Anthropologist
Quotes: 71

Books & Sources

The Denial of DeathRelated source material

Escape from EvilRelated source material

The Birth and Death of Meaning: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Problem of ManRelated source material

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