DOWNLOAD BOOK FREE HERE
SynopsisFrom the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Denial of Death, a penetrating and insightful perspective on the source of evil in our world.
"A profound, nourishing book...absolutely essential to the understanding of our troubled times." -Anais Nin
"An urgent essay that bears all the marks of a final philosophical raging against the dying of the light." -Newsweek
"Brilliant and challenging...adds another bit of reason to balance destruction...It is, in the best sense of the words, both scientific and philosophical...of the highest importance." -Los Angeles Times
Review
Dr. Ernest Becker (1924-1974) taught at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State College, and Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is survived by his wife, Marie, and a foundation that bears his name -- The Ernest Becker Foundation.
Escape from Evil
An exploration of the natural history of evil.
An exploration of the natural history of evil."
The Ernest Becker Reader
Ernest Becker (1924-1974) was an astute observer of society and human behavior during America�s turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Trained in social anthropology and driven by a transcending curiosity about human motivations, Becker doggedly pursued his basic research question, "What makes people act the way they do?" Dissatisfied with what he saw as narrowly fragmented methods in the contemporary social sciences and impelled by a belief that humankind more than ever needed a disciplined, rational, and empirically based understanding of itself, Becker slowly created a powerful interdisciplinary vision of the human sciences, one in which each discipline is rooted in a basic truth concerning the human condition. That truth became an integral part of Becker's emerging social science. Almost inadvertently, he outlined a perspective on human motivations that is perhaps the most broadly interdisciplinary to date. His perspective traverses not only the biological, psychological, and social sciences but also the humanities and educational, political, and religious studies. Ernest Becker is best known for the books written in the last few years before his death from cancer, including the highly praised Pulitzer Prize-winning volume The Denial of Death (1974) and Escape from Evil (1975). These late works, however, were built on a distinguished body of earlier books, essays, and reviews. The power and strength of Becker�s ideas are fully present in his early works, which underlie his later contributions and give direction for interpreting the development of his ideas. Although Ernest Becker's life and career were cut short, his major writings have remained continually in print and have captured the interest of subsequent generations of readers. The Ernest Becker Reader makes available for the first time in one volume much of Becker�s early work and thus places his later work in proper context. It is a major contribution to the ongoing interest in Becker's ideas.
These late works, however, were built on a distinguished body of earlier books, essays, and reviews."
The Unrepentant Crowd
In the first chapter of the thesis the main thread of Ernest Becker's psychology, as it was expounded in The Denial of Death, is presented. In the second chapter Becker's interpretation of Soren Kierkegaard's psychology is put forward, and Becker's belief that his thought is in basic accord with Kierkegaard's is noted. In the third and fourth chapters Kierkegaard's understanding of human psychology, as it was presented in The Concept of Anxiety and The Sickness Unto Death, is summarized. The fifth chapter is a critical comparison of the psychological theories of Becker and Kierkegaard, in which a negative conclusion is reached regarding Becker's belief that his thought and Kierkegaard's are in basic accord. The sixth chapter is a summary of Becker's explanation of political violence, as it was presented in Escape From Evil. The seventh chapter is an explication of the understanding of political violence that I find implicit in Kierkegaard's thought, along with a comparison of this understanding with Becker's. Nazism and the nuclear arms race are briefly referred to as the two principal test cases for the preceding theoretical formulations.
In the first chapter of the thesis the main thread of Ernest Becker's psychology, as it was expounded in The Denial of Death, is presented."
Mortal Gods
Mortal Gods, a study of the work of Pulitzer Prize winner Ernest Becker, establishes that Becker's reflections on morality entitle him to be considered a fundamental theologian. In addition, Becker's approach to Christianity is broadened, and a revised theology is presented.
Mortal Gods, a study of the work of Pulitzer Prize winner Ernest Becker, establishes that Becker's reflections on morality entitle him to be considered a fundamental theologian."
Decomposing Modernity
This book reads Ernest Becker both as a prophet of modernity and as a sensitive observer of its decline. Situated within the disciplinary approach of 'theology of culture, ' the book discerns in dialogue with Becker the contours of modern vision in its depth-dimension. Taking note of Becker's works as a whole, it identifies the two master images of human existence--homo poeta and homo heroica--which articulate this dimension, situating them in scholarly debate and comparing and relating them to the contemporary situation.
This book reads Ernest Becker both as a prophet of modernity and as a sensitive observer of its decline."
Birth and Death of Meaning
Uses the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, sociology and psychiatry to explain what makes people act the way they do.
Uses the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, sociology and psychiatry to explain what makes people act the way they do."
Making Sense of Dying and Death
Health, illness and disease are topics well-suited to interdisciplinary inquiry. This book brings together scholars from around the world who share an interest in and a commitment to bridging the traditional boundaries of inquiry. We hope that this book begins new conversations that will situate health in broader socio-cultural contexts and establish connections between health, illness and disease and other socio-political issues. This book is the outcome of the first global conference on Making Sense of: Health, Illness and Disease, held at St Catherine's College, Oxford, in June 2002. The selected papers pursue a range of topics from the cultural significance of narratives of health, illness and disease to healing practices in contemporary society as well as patients' illness experiences.
22 Becker , The Denial of Death , I.21 Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil ( New York : Free Press , 1975 ) , xvii . 23 Merlyn E. Mowrey , " The Religious Hero and the Escape from Evil : A Feminist Challenge to Ernest Becker's Religious ..."
The Voice of Public Theology
Public theologians are already thundering like prophets at climate change and racial injustice. But the gale force winds of natural science blow through society as well. The public theologian should be on storm watch.
'Flower Power' in the 1960's provided the cultural context within which Becker's science of evil entered the intellectual marketplace. ... Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil (New York: Macmillan, 1975), xvii. 23. Becker , Escape from Evil , ..."
Postmortal Society
Throughout history mankind has struggled to reconcile itself with the inescapability of its own mortality. This book explores the themes of immortality and survivalism in contemporary culture, shedding light on the varied and ingenious ways in which humans and human societies aspire to confront and deal with death, or even seek to outlive it, as it were. Bringing together theoretical and empirical work from internationally acclaimed scholars across a range of disciplines, Postmortal Society offers studies of the strategies adopted and means available in modern society for trying to ‘cheat’ death or prolong life, the status of the dead in the modern Western world, the effects of beliefs that address the terror of death in other areas of life, the ‘immortalisation’ of celebrities, the veneration of the dead in virtual worlds, symbolic immortality through work, the implications of understanding ‘immortality’ in chemical-neuronal terms, and the apparent paradox of our greater reverence for the dead in increasingly secular, capitalist societies. A fascinating collection of studies that explore humanity’s attempts to deal with its own mortality in the modern age, this book will appeal to sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers and scholars of cultural studies with interests in death and dying.
As Becker put it in his final book Escape from Evil : The thing that makes man the most devastating animal that has ever stuck his neck up into the sky is that he wants ... Becker , Ernest (1971): The Birth and Death of Meaning (2ndedn)."
The History of Evil from the Mid-Twentieth Century to Today
This sixth volume of The History of Evil charts the era 1950–2018, with topics arising after the atrocities of World War II, while also exploring issues that have emerged over the last few decades. It exhibits the flourishing of analytic philosophy of religion since the War, as well as the diversity of approaches to the topic of God and evil in this era. Comprising twenty-one chapters from a team of international contributors, this volume is divided into three parts, God and Evil, Humanity and Evil and On the Objectivity of Human Judgments of Evil. The chapters in this volume cover relevant topics such as the evidential argument from evil, skeptical theism, free will, theodicy, continental philosophy, religious pluralism, the science of evil, feminist theorizations, terrorism, pacifism, realism and relativism. This outstanding treatment of the history of evil will appeal to those with particular interests in the ideas of evil and good
“A New Look at the Problem of Evil ,” Faith and Philosophy, 9:2 (April), 210–216. Peters, Ted, 1994. ... Becker , Ernest , 1968. The Structure of Evil . New York: Macmillan. Becker , Ernest , 1975. Escape from Evil . New York: Macmillan."
Volume 13: Kierkegaard's Influence on the Social Sciences
Kierkegaard has long been known as a philosopher and theologian, but his contributions to psychology, anthropology and sociology have also made an important impact on these fields. In many of the works of his complex authorship, Kierkegaard presents his intriguing and unique vision of the nature and mental life of human beings individually and collectively. The articles featured in the present volume explore the reception of Kierkegaard's thought in the social sciences. Of these fields Kierkegaard is perhaps best known in psychology, where The Concept of Anxiety and The Sickness unto Death have been the two most influential texts. With regard to the field of sociology, social criticism, or social theory, Kierkegaard's Literary Review of Two Ages has also been regarded as offering valuable insights about some important dynamics of modern society..
50 Becker , The Denial of Death, p. 91. 51 Becker cites Kierkegaard, The Concept of Dread, p. 104 (see SKS 4, 419 / CA, 117). 52 This unfinished manuscript was edited and published posthumously, see Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil , ..."
Feuerbach and the Interpretation of Religion
Ludwig Feuerbach is traditionally regarded as a significant but transitional figure in the development of nineteenth-century German thought. Readings of Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity tend to focus on those features which made it seem liberating to the Young Hegelians: namely, its criticism of reification as abstraction, and its interpretation of religion as alienation. In this book, Van Harvey claims that this is a limited and inadequate view of Feuerbach's work, especially of his critique of religion. The author argues that Feuerbach's philosophical development led him to a much more complex and interesting theory of religion which he expounded in works which have been virtually ignored hitherto. By exploring these works, Harvey gives them a significant contemporary re-statement, and brings Feuerbach into conversation with a number of modern theorists of religion.
Third , although Becker was not himself interested in the implications of his view for an empirical research program , it has , in fact , spawned a very ... 38 Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil ( New York : The Free Press , 1975 ) , p ."
Existential Reasons for Belief in God
Lived faith involves doctrines, evidences and rational coherence—but it includes much more. Philosopher Clifford Williams puts forth an argument as to why certain needs, desires and emotions have a legitimate place in drawing people into faith in God. Addressing the strongest objections to these types of grounds for faith, he shows how the personal and experiential aspects of belief play an important part in coming to faith and in remaining a believing person.
A more extended instance of an existential argument comes from Ernest Becker , in his magisterial The Denial of Death . ... 1 ° Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil ( New York : Free Press , 1975 ) , pp . 3 , 63-65 . 11 Becker , Denial of ..."
Intimacy, Transcendence, and Psychology
This book addresses the richness and depth of our intimate relationships and especially those moments when we come to see ourselves and the other person in a new way. In such moments we realize that however much we are influenced by heredity and upbringing, we are also agents with the capacity for openness and transcendence.
Ernest Becker , The Denial of Death (New York: Free Press, 1973), ix. Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil (New York: Free Press, 1975), 4. Ibid., 64. Ibid., 5. Huston Smith, Beyond the Post-Modern Mind (New York: Crossroads, 1982), ..."
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Ernest Becker's Escape from Evil is one of the most sobering, humbling and mind-opening books I've ever read. It is a companion to Becker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Denial of Death, which I re-read after many years just ..."
Facing Up to Mortality
Late anthropologist Ernest Becker outlined a theory that a major function of culture is to provide answers to the Big Questions people pose in relation to the uniquely human recognition of death and mortality. In Facing Up to Mortality, each chapter interacts with Becker's theory from the perspective of a religious tradition or academic discipline.
While disagreeing in many important respects with Freud, Becker's approach to religion still carries the imprint of Freud, especially in his generalizations about the religious solution which are ... Ernest Becker , Escape From Evil ."
Gerontological Social Work Practice in the Community
Here is an extremely useful book--one which will help social workers understand the needs of special populations of older people, the nature of practices in the community, and some of the policy and practice issues which they confront in their work.
Becker , Ernest , The Denial of Death , New York : Free Press , 1973 , pp . 26-27 . 9. Butler , Robert N. and Myrna ... Becker , Ernest , Escape From Evil , New York : Free Press , 1975 , p . 4 . 17. See Rank , Otto , Art and Artist ..."
Sin and Forgiveness
Originally published in 2003. Western attitudes to crime were in the past rooted in concepts of sin, and therefore of hopes for redemption and forgiveness. So what happens - to offenders and society as a whole - in a world where people no longer talk of sin but of evil. If hopes of redemption go too, will revenge take the place of forgiveness? Kay Carmichael explores these dilemmas in this topical and provocative book. She traces the stories of Myra Hindley, Mary Bell, Sarah Payne, James Bulger and his killers, comparing public responses to such crimes in various Western countries. Art and literature are examined for the light they throw on the evolution of our ideas about sin and forgiveness - from Rembrandt to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel Becket, Dali and writings inspired by the Holocaust. Turning to our own day, Carmichael discusses the emergence of structural sins or 'iniquities' in which we may all find ourselves involved: poverty, slavery, violence and war are her themes. Her analysis leaves her sceptical about many contemporary appeals for forgiveness, but hopeful about ideas of restorative justice.
... Oxford University Press: Oxford 1991 Babuta, Subniv and Bragard, Jean-Claude, Evil , Weidenfeld & Nicolson: London ... Becker , Ernest , The Birth and Death of Meaning, The Free Press: New York 1971 Becker , Ernest , Escape from Evil , ..."
Development, Poverty of Culture, and Social Policy
This book offers an interdisciplinary analysis of complex issues, constructs, and interventions that deal with human-social problems with global implications. It posits social development theory and practice in a critically important context challenging the scientific orthodoxy of our times.
Aronson, Ronald. 1989/1992. Introduction: The ethics of truth. In Sartre, J. P. (1989/1992:xii–xli). Becker , Ernest .1975. Escape from Evil .New York: TheFree Press. Becker , Ernest . 1974. The discovery of the science of man."
Eschatology
Schwarz guides readers through the range of opinions on the subject of the future, telling how readers' understanding of eschatology has developed and laying out the factors that must be considered when speaking meaningfully about the Christian hope in the 21st century. He surveys the teachings about the future in the Old and New Testaments and addresses the views of Christian and secular thinkers throughout history.
Initially , similar to Heidegger , Becker was not content with our yearning to overcome death through heroic deeds . In his last book , post- humously ... Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil ( New York : Free Press , 1975 ) , xvii . 104."
The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians
This edited volume mainly focuses on the practice of taking and displaying various body parts as trophies in both North and South America. The editors and contributors (which include Native Peoples from both continents) examine the evidence and causes of Amerindian trophy taking. Additionally, they present objectively and discuss dispassionately the topic of human proclivity toward ritual violence. This book fills the gap in literature on this subject.
Ethics: An Essay on the Understanding of Evil . New York. Verso Press. Banks, Judith. (1970). Comparative Biographies of Two ... Becker , Ernest . (1970). The Birth and Death of Meaning. ... Becker , Ernest . (1975). Escape from Evil ."
The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language
This volume brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines to define and describe tabooed words and language and to investigate the reasons and beliefs behind them. In general, taboo is defined as a proscription of behaviour for a specific community, time, and context. In terms of language, taboo applies to instances of language behaviour: the use of certain words in certain contexts. The existence of linguistic taboos and their management lead to the censoring of behaviour and, as a consequence, to language change and development. Chapters in this volume explore the multiple types of tabooed language from a variety of perspectives, such as sociolinguistics, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, historical linguistics, and neurolinguistics, and with reference to fields such as law, publishing, politics, and advertising. Topics covered include impoliteness, swearing, censorship, taboo in deaf communities, translation of tabooed words, and the use of taboo in banter and comedy.
Several Sermons against Evil -speaking. London. ... Becker , Ernest (1962). The Birth and Death of Meaning. New York: Free Press. Becker , Ernest (1973). The Denial of Death. New York: Free Press. Becker , Ernest (1975). Escape from Evil ."
Women and Evil
Human beings love to fictionalize evil--to terrorize each other with stories of defilement, horror, excruciating pain, and divine retribution. Beneath the surface of bewitchment and half-sick amusement, however, lies the realization that evil is real and that people must find a way to face and overcome it. What we require, Carl Jung suggested, is a morality of evil--a carefully thought out plan by which to manage the evil in ourselves, in others, and in whatever deities we posit. This book is not written from a Jungian perspective, but it is nonetheless an attempt to describe a morality of evil. One suspects that descriptions of evil and the so-called problem of evil have been thoroughly suffused with male interests and conditioned by masculine experience. This result could hardly have been avoided in a sexist culture, and recognizing the truth of such a claim does not commit us to condemn every male philosopher and theologian who has written on the problem. It suggests, rather, that we may get a clearer view of evil if we take a different standpoint. The standpoint I take here will be that of women; that is, I will attempt to describe evil from the perspective of women's experience.
Translated by Alastair Hamilton. New York and London: Marion Boyars, 1985. Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. Translated and edited by H. M. Par- shley. New York: Bantam Books, 1961. Becker , Ernest . Escape from Evil ."
Evil and Evolution: A Theodicy
First published in 1984 and recently revised and updated, this book deals with the problem of evil, or theodicy (God's justice). It contends that the process of evolution, particularly as it bears on the emergence of free will, rather than being a barrier to faith, gives us the key to understanding its greatest obstacle - the existence of so much suffering in the world. It further advances the still contested claim that God is truly our fellow sufferer in our struggle to overcome evil in all of its many forms.
Ahern, M. B. The Problem of Evil , London : Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1971. Allegra, Gabriel M., 0.F.M. My Conversations with Teilhard de ... Becker , Ernest . The Escape From Evil . New York: Free Press, 1975. ____ The Denial of Death."
Political Culture and the Making of Modern Nation-States
This book focuses on transformations of political culture from times past to future-present. It defines the meaning of political culture and explores the cultural values and institutions of kinship communities and dynastic intermediaries, including chiefdoms and early states. It systematically examines the rise and gradual universalization of modern sovereign nation-states. Contemporary debates concerning nationality, nationalism, citizenship, and hyphenated identities are engaged. The authors recount the making of political culture in the American nation-state and look at the processes of internal colonialism in the American experience, examining how major ethnic, sectarian, racial, and other distinctions arose and congealed into social and cultural categories. The book concludes with a study of the Holocaust, genocide, crimes against humanity, and the political cultures of violation in post-colonial Rwanda and in racialized ethno-political conflicts in various parts of the world. Struggles over legitimacy in nation-building and state-building are at the heart of this new take on the important role of political culture.
Paul Tillich, The Courage to Be, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1952, 39. 10. Ernest Becker , Denial of Death, New York: Free Press, 1973, 89. 11. Ibid., 120. 12. Ernest Becker , Escape from Evil , New York: Free Press, 1975, 4. 13."
Death, Dying, Culture: An Interdisciplinary Interrogation
This inter- and multi-disciplinary volume examines how culture impacts care for the dying, the overall experience of dying, and ways the dead are re
London: Norton, 1996. Becker , Ernest . The Denial of Death. 1973. Reprint, New York: Free Press Paperbacks, 1997. ———. Escape from Evil . New York: The Free Press, 1975. Bloom, Edward A. and Lillian D. Bloom. Satire's Persuasive Voice."
No comments:
Post a Comment