The Birth and Death of Meaning

by Ernest Becker

Book Overview

Uses the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, sociology and psychiatry to explain what makes people act the way they do.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0029021901
• ISBN13: 9780029021903
• Release Date: September 1971
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Master work of a genius ...

All Becker is worth reading. No, revise that, all Becker is necessary reading. The school curriculum should consist mainly of a gradual, detailed scrutiny of Becker's work. Then we might not all be so immeasurably stupid. In "Birth & Death of Meaning", Ernest strips away the pretensions & evasions inherent in the Human Project. Once you have grasped how measly, second-rate & gerrybuilt is your 'pseudopod', you will, paradoxically, sleep better at night, smile more politely at strangers & behave generally better with those people who must perform the jobs in life that no one wants. The concept of 'heroism', as developed by Becker, with his usual mix of vision, honesty & courage, is, in my experience, the single best means of understanding the labouring of the human psyche & the damage inherent in this labour - both to the 'self' & others - as we strive to be "the hero of our own newsreel". That Becker is a neglected genius is all too readily understandable. His insight lays us bare - renders us naked in a world that is naturally indifferent & culturally largely hostile.

I WISH I COULD GIVE IT 10 STARS OR 100

Truly a philosophical and psychological classic with powerful ideas exploding from every page. Highly recommended for hundreds of passages like the following:"The thing that makes the study of character so fascinating and so difficult is that is largely a matter of sorting out bizarre collages ... That is why self-analyses for anyone who wants to work at it, is a task for more than one lifetime - it can never really be finished." * "The ego finds out what feelings, thoughts, and situations are dangerous and then permits the organism to exist in a world in which there is no danger by steering clear of these feelings, thoughts and situations. ... And this price is the heaviest we have to pay: namely, the restriction of experience ... by skewing perceptions and limiting action." * "One of the things that most people take with them out of their early experience is a dependency on others for their sense of self, a rooting in the powers of someone else; this gives them a certain serenity, an ability to carry on daily without worrying or thinking about their own weakness or lack of self-confidence." * "Genuine heroism for man is still the power to support contradictions, no matter how glaring or hopeless they may seem." * "We think we see power in the people with sure beliefs, unshakable convictions, smug self-confidence. Yet these are psychological weaknesses on a planet which is fluid and full of surprises."

devastating and life changing

After reading "The Birth and Death of Meaning" along with "The Denial of Death", Ernest Becker quickly became one of my personal heroes. Who else would have had the guts to write something so penetrating, so frightening, so threatening to the mechanisms we use every day to cope with life? Becker makes shockingly clear the fictitious nature of human meaning and the contrived nature of social game: if you've ever wondered why the mentally ill are so neglected as a minority and generally spurned even by so called "activists" for racial acceptance, etc, you won't wonder after reading this book. For all that Becker is gentle, not some arrogant nihilistic jerk. There is no typical existentialist self pity here, no "nausea", simply a tough recognition of the way things actually are and a few relative ideas as to how we should deal with them. This is what differentiates Becker from the postmodernists and others who delight in impotence: he is open to solution, to creative play and even religious answers (of an unconventional kind, of course.) His insight and intellect are so powerful as to be scary, and one wonders how such a man dealt with the trivialities of everyday life knowing that they are part of a gigantic charade of illusory meaning. He makes it clear that man is a social animal, and that we are built from the outside in rather than the other way around. His theory of the "urge toward cosmic heroism" fits perfectly into actual concrete everyday life, where anyone and everyone is eager to stand out in some way as cultural heroes. Like Nietzsche, perhaps even better, Becker illustrates the way in which we deceive ourselves and deliberately confuse the cultural game with underlying material reality. He offers four levels of possible solution, the first of which he warns can lead to narcissism and mandess, the second and third being religious in an abstract and metaphysical way. Becker is not, like so many sociologists, drunk on his own lucidity or on a power trip: he is telling us to relax, because the question of relevance is very much up in the air. Authenticity is his message. I would recommend this book as it is easily one of the most important philosophical awakenings that are on the bookshelf, but I would qualify that statement by also recommending it be taken in small doses.

Profound explaination of life as a script

I read this book when I was in college, nearly 30 years ago. The fact I am writing this review after such a long time should attest to what impact this book had on me. At that age, in my early twenties, I was concerned about the meaning of human existence, and this book provided satisfactory answers.What impressed me most were; Becker's discussion of ego; our unique awareness of the fact that we will die; and (most interesting) our abilities and inabilities to role play in society. I can't say that reading Becker will necessarily make one a happier person, but after reading this book life will make a lot more sense.Today, I am an engineer who is used to viewing things mechanically, on face value. Perhaps Becker's philosophy appealled to me because of his explaination of the mechanics of ego and role playing in society. On this basis, as an explaination of the fundamentals of human behavior, it rings profoundly true.

Terror of Death Exposed

Unique integrity in bearing the intellectual consequences of facing the prospect of death. Must read before DENIAL OF DEATH of the same author. The interdisciplinary erudition and ability to integrate broad spectrum of views and data are exceptional. You must be brave to read and think through...