Episode

[@despitewisdom]

Not too many great 1 person podcast shows out there. This is one of them. 👏

[@projectmalus]

I'm planting lots of fruit trees, that's my attempt at an afterlife I guess. I'm up to 89 (trees) now. The wild animals around here appreciate it, those partridge with their heads moving like sewing machines and in stereo no less, I knew they ate fruit and buds but the leaves too? and the bear gracefully picking plums and apples and when a branch is too high they gently snap it down and then continue to pick the fruit carefully, like a human. I've never had a fear of death but I've heard about it quite a bit. Identifying as a gardener I've seen many cycles of life and death, in fact last year was a complete disaster. Thanks for the video!

[@goga5104]

This warmed my heart...

[@StrengthScholar0]

I think this may be the best episode you've ever released. I've been chewing on this idea for a while but I think I just gave myself the permission feed myself positive "lies"," illusions", etc. Hopefully I won't reflexively reject "lies" that will only make me feel happier and more fulfilled in the long run. As somebody who sits in neurotic terror (not of death but of life) I just want to say thanks for the wake up call man.

[@searchforserenity8058]

Becker's book had a profound impact on my understanding of human nature. Love the show and thanks for this episode. I have always wondered what others thought of his book.

[@michaeldrew3292]

My golly you are speaking my language. This episode is exactly what I've been needing to hear. Great work.

[@finlaycraig8642]

It's a joy to watch your videos, thanks for doing the work you do.

[@antonioriondadelosreyes7523]

I can't stop listening to your podcasts! Thank you so much!

[@chrishu-zc1fj]

THE SECULAR VERSION OF AFTERLIFE IS LEGACY, LOL THIS LINE HITS HARD

[@JohnPopcorn06]

imagine that 10 000 years into the future, some no-name university student trying to get some literature to his thesis finds this podcast.

[@christinemartin63]

Very cleverly presented ... and entertaining! Bravo.

[@tannerhagen774]

I buy and read a lot of books based on what this guy talks about. Adding another one to the list. Can’t wait for the next podcast!

[@jasonsomers8224]

Your scripts are tight. I'm glad I found your work.

[@ArtAndTechWithNicolas]

Good job, high quality stuff 👍. Thank you.

[@bxlawless100]

An interesting concept of the Romans and Greek gods was their real jealousy of mankind. Why? We died. Without death, there is no achievement eventually everything will occur. Even in error everything will occur. But, in humans, because we eventually cease to exist we can actually achieve greatness within the timeframe of our lives. A man can bring together a nation to defend itself from destruction. He can become a hero and his decisions matter within his lifetime. Also, living eternally would be an unbearable curse. A never ending circle of mundaneness. One way of looking at death is it’s a gift in some respects.

[@AlexanderWeurding]

Great question! Not thinking about the why, because there is no why but think about the reason why there is a why. But why should there be a why, that is again a reason.

[@AlexanderWeurding]

wow, thanks, i did not know

[@AlexanderWeurding]

Is fear a memory or just memory.

[@naturalisted1714]

Kids that haven't yet learned of their mortality don't do things out of fear of death, or in attempting to gain immortality. Many just do things because they enjoy it. I don't kayak to distract myself, I do it because I like it.

[@twentyarms]

Children are not yet able to conceive of death per se, but they understand fear and danger. Fear of what? The understanding of death is there from the moment we are born, even when it's inchoate and more of a feeling than an understanding. As for kayaking, why does it give you pleasure? Break it down into it's essential components. If you parse deep enough, you will arrive at an expression of joyful vitality. And what creates the contrast that makes vitality and joy possible?

[@ivandanielarmentagomez.5952]

Wow this one came fast! Ty

[@colinlee1237]

Beautiful pod ty

[@metamorphosis_77]

Unbelievable content like always!

[@jacobjackson6513]

Thank you

[@LamprosSamaras]

Hi there! great work on presenting philosophical issues. I just want to point out that the expression "boil in my soup" may not be a standard expression in english but it is used in modern greek! and the meaning is the same as the one you have implied!

[@lilylennox1920]

This was amazing!

[@SalM1]

This is a highlight for sure

[@kiyarashreza3654]

Your content is interestingly unique and engaging. You should put out podcasts more often.

[@Ceaselessprayer]

Great subject!

[@prismbrandingrealestatebra6301]

Phenomenal podcast. Ernest Becker has many obscure books which are fantastic reads. Everyone has heard of Denial of death but his other works are awesome too check out : Escape from Evil and Science if Man.

[@DaniloInderWildi]

I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder and am currently institutionalized. This podcast was pretty illuminating to me. To me, depression actually means having none of those illusions at hand or at least not being able to believe in any of them. Equals constant neurotic terror.

[@DaniloInderWildi]

@Of the Refrain "..." - Randle Patrick McMurphy (after lobotomy)

[@rafaelbendavid4041]

Do you have a video on Merleau-Ponty? or Husserl?

[@Troy-ol5fk]

I'd love to see an episode about Neil Postman

[@andrewbowen2837]

I'd have to disagree with Becker. I do fear death itself

[@allhailaynrand]

You should do Kirpke on Naming and Necessity.

[@tuberklz]

life as an immortality project

[@ashishmanohar8369]

Can you do a video on Precarity?

[@hanskung3278]

Digital Ontology.....now you have my attention.

[@naturalisted1714]

So if we were immortal none of us would do anything... We'd literally just sit in a chair staring at a wall forever. I think not. We'd do things we enjoy purely because we enjoy them. People would still make art, and cook good foods, go hiking, make music... Most people do these things because they enjoy doing them. There are plenty that do things because they want to be remembered by, but we all know we'd still enjoy doing things even if we were all immortal. One might write a book for egotistical reasons, but many will do it because they'd like to tell a story, or change the way people see the world. I'm completely unconvinced that no one would do anything in a world of immortals.

[@owretchedman]

Why is it taken as a given that humans crave meaning?

[@DjTahoun]

🌷😇🙏🏻🌷

[@Joeyjojoshabbadoo]

Ernest Becker's 'fear of death' has got to be one of the worst cases of publish or perish in the last few generations of careerist academia. One man's or mankind's fear of death does not define or inform human society. It's just stupid and wrong. But, you know, it made him famous, not because he feared death and thus was driven to relentlessly pursue some lasting and enduring accomplishment on account of this grinding fear of death inexorably surging him forward.... But because he wanted to get laid and get paid like anyone else. And to do that you gotta make money and have some status. And that's what defines human nature and human society. Living. Not dying. Still, it's impressive how he was able to center his worldview around this trite little conceit, and then just leg-hump it all the way through. And every aspect of our sorry-ass lives somehow comes back to our fear of death. And you gotta respect that. But the guy's a hack. If this little video is a fair summation of his thoughts, then the guy was wrong about everything. He perceived the world reasonably enough, which you would absolutely demand and expect, but he has no explanation for it. Other than this cockamamie fear of death business. I guess he's just too much of a chickenshit to take hierarchical capitalist society head on, so we get all-embracing fear of death instead....

[@michaellabbe2873]

You’re so smart. Feel better now?

[@Joeyjojoshabbadoo]

Yeah, well... sometimes you gotta keep it real. Something like this is just too garishly insulting. It feels like it borders on something that might form the basis of religious dogma, it's that patently absurd and false, with a sort of sweeping, all-encompassing quality that religions typically trade on. But it does, inadvertently I suppose, shine a light on the real forces that drive human behavior, that of the need for survival in our modern free enterprise economy, by any means necessary, and if you're something like a professional academic, and that is your metier, and your grift, this is what those means look like. It's not like this is the first time someone has made up some minimally plausible horseshit, and it seemed to click with people, and so they just went with it....

[@hanskung3278]

Beckers assumption is "we came from nothing".....how does he know this?

[@edwardbackman744]

Les non dupes errent. Nothing wrong with living through illusions friends.

[@justjoshua5759]

I feel like Becker wouldn’t be a fan of Rick Sanchez

[@bxlawless100]

People who live their life in seriousness. I think miss something fundamental in life. Life’s a bit of a joke. I mean. We die at the end of it. It’s a bit of a joke why take it so seriously?

[@hanskung3278]

The "question of meaning" is not a scientific question, science does not deal with this question, and Beckers book is not science.

[@hanskung3278]

Pop Tarts will provide salvation?

[@hanskung3278]

Wait, I thought Nietzsche's Superman could cope with the daily awareness of death.

[@mouwersor]

I've heard Lex Fridman talk waaaaaay too much about this so imma skip this one

[@hanskung3278]

When you see thru the illusions of our hero projects and realize we are masking the reality of nothingness, isn't that Nihilism?

[@hanskung3278]

"We create God's"?

[@stab74]

Yup.

[@michaellabbe2873]

Clearly

[@hanskung3278]

@@michaellabbe2873 I always thought God created us.

[@hanskung3278]

How do we come to terms with death? We can....God exists.

[@danilkopaskudnik3002]

tell me one thing that isn't escapism .. ?