Comprehension of death in Ernest Becker’s cultural anthropology
Shapovalov Igor Sergeevich
Voronezh State University
Submitted: 02.11.2023
Abstract. The paper examines the problems of understanding death in the cultural anthropology of Ernest Becker. The aim of the research is to identify the main provisions of Ernest Becker’s theory for the study of the fear of death in 21st-century Western culture. The historical background and features of his creative work are analyzed. The novelty of the paper consists in determining a connection between the aspirations of consumer society for hedonism and the fear of death. The heuristic potential of Becker’s works in comprehending the modern fear of death and in revealing the impact of immortality projects on the collective consciousness of all mankind is shown. The role of creativity in solving many existential problems of society is revealed. As a result, the research finds that today the entire existing culture acts as a kind of ‘factory’ for denying death and people’s biological creaturehood. It is determined that amidst the declining faith in God and the pursuit of an earthly paradise, individuals can overcome the terror of death by striving for divinity, transgression and by elaborating a personal immortality project through creativity.
Key words and phrases: танатология, отрицание смерти, стремление к героизму, проекты бессмертия, творчество, thanatology, denial of death, pursuit of heroism, immortality projects, creativity
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