Speaker: Sheldon Solomon, Professor of Psychology at Skidmore College
Title: Afraid of the Dark: Humanity at the Crossroads
Date: Friday, October 4th, 2013
Category: Seminar
Abstract:
“Humanity today is like a waking dreamer, caught between the fantasies of sleep and the chaos of the real world. The mind seeks but cannot find the precise place and hour. We have created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. We thrash about. We are terribly confused by the mere fact of our existence, and a danger to ourselves and to the rest of life.” – Edward O. Wilson, The Social Conquest of Earth
“Civilization originates in delayed infancy and its function is security. It is a huge network of more or less successful attempts to protect mankind against the danger of object-loss, the colossal efforts made by a baby who is afraid of being left alone in the dark.” – Geza Roheim, The Origin and Function of Culture
Dr. Solomon will present an overview of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker’s ideas about how the uniquely human fear of death has a pervasive effect on human beings’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior. According to Becker, humans manage the terror of death by adhering to culturally constructed beliefs about reality that provide a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning, and thus eligible for either literal or symbolic immortality. The quest for immortality underlies some of humankind’s most noble achievements. However, it also engenders some of our most ignominious affectations, including: hostility and disdain for people with different beliefs; indifference to, or contempt for, the natural environment; and, the mindless pursuit of material possessions—which, if unchecked, may render humans the first form of life responsible for their own extinction. Solomon will provide an overview of empirical work in support of Becker’s claims, and conclude by pondering the implications of these ideas for individual and social behavior.
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Sheldon Solomon is a psychologist and the Ross Professor for Interdisciplinary Studies at Skidmore College. He earned his B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College, and his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Dr. Solomon is best known for developing Terror Management Theory, along with Jeff Greenberg and Tom Pyszczynski, which is concerned with how humans deal with their own sense of mortality. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 articles and several books, including In the Wake of 9-11: The Psychology of Terror. He’s been featured in several films and TV documentaries as well as countless radio interviews.
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