The Denial of Death

so hey, let’s get morbid.

basically the human organism is unique in that it knows, without a doubt, that its life is finite, and that it will someday die and cease to exist.

this is a burden unshared with any other life form on the planet.

i read a book a long time ago that gelled a lot of seemingly disparate concepts in my head about mortality, and finding meaning in life:

http://ken-gilbert.com/the-denial-of-death

find a copy and read it. that’s my public service announcement for the day.

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1 Comments

1. stoogepie, June 10, 2008:

   Okay, so this book won the Pulitzer in 1974 and is quoted by Bill Clinton in his memoirs. Cool!

   The Amazon link you have in the excerpt is the wrong link. That edition is out of print so you can only get it from third-party sellers. If you follow this link you can buy it directly from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Denial-Death-Ernest-Becker/dp/0684832402.

   Anyways, I ordered it and I will even read it. But I think it is entirely possible that plankton know they are going to die.