Terror Management Theory: How Existential Dread Has Shaped the World
The Great Simplification #199 with Sheldon Solomon
Many of us wrestle with the unsettling truth that everyone – including ourselves and those we love – will one day die. Though this awareness is uncomfortable, research suggests that the human capacity to contemplate death is a byproduct of consciousness itself. In fact, our efforts to cope with mortality are at the core of culture, religion, the desire for wealth, and even many of today’s societal crises. How might a deeper understanding of our implicit reactions to mortality help us turn towards responses that are more supportive of our species and planet?
In this episode, I’m joined by Sheldon Solomon, a psychologist and co-developer of Terror Management Theory, which posits that while all living beings strive to survive, humans are unique in knowing that death is unavoidable. Solomon explores some of our instinctual coping mechanisms, including clinging to existing cultural worldviews and activities that bolster our self-esteem, even when they may have negative consequences for those around us. He also explains how these defensive mechanisms manifest in modern society, influencing politics, consumerism, and religious beliefs.
Why does our fear of death drive materialism and the endless hunger for “more”? How do reminders of death impact our attitudes toward people with different political or religious beliefs? And lastly, could practices rooted in mindfulness, gratitude, and awe help us to more skillfully relate to death anxiety by strengthening our relationships, giving to our community, and reveling in the expansive magnificence of the universe in which we get to inhabit?
In case you missed it…
In last week’s Frankly, I considered the ways in which our social species overvalues false confidence rather than the more honest and inquisitive response of “I don’t know.” I invite you to consider the science behind this cultural bias towards certainty: from our biological response from the stress of “not knowing” to the reinforcing effects of motivated reasoning that ensnare even the smartest among us (especially the smartest among us).
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You lost me early on with the sentence “humans are unique” without the qualifier “as far as we can tell”.
I am so, so tired of human exceptionalism and to find it even here, especially here, makes me truly despondent.
I'm not scared of dying and I don't really care. Why fear the inevitable? Even stars die. In fact we're made from their dust⭐✨🌟