Episode 12 — Ernest Becker: The Denial of Death Anxiety, Meaning, and the Fear Beneath Modern Life

Why do people cling so fiercely to identity, success, ideology, and recognition? Why does modern life feel anxious even when it appears comfortable? And what if much of human behavior is driven by a fear we rarely name?

In this long-form episode of Philosophy for Better Humans, Charles Sebastian Whitby explores the philosophy of Ernest Becker and his groundbreaking work The Denial of Death.

Becker argued that human beings are uniquely burdened by the knowledge of mortality — and that much of culture, ambition, conflict, and ego exists to protect us from facing it directly. To manage this fear, we create “immortality projects”: symbolic ways to feel heroic, significant, and enduring.

This episode explores:

• Death anxiety as the hidden driver of human behavior
• Self-esteem and identity as defense ...