Sources of significance

Sources of Significance: Worldly Rejuvenation and Neo-Stoic Heroism is a philosophical discussion concerning death and its relation to the meaning of life. Corey Anton begins by establishing common ground with the reader by identifying enduring questions that we have either asked ourselves and admit to asking them or have asked ourselves and not admit to being curious about them. Whichever place the reader comes from, Anton situates Ernest Becker's (1924–1974) work as a starting place from which to ask those questions about death, life, and how we come to be. Anton provides a remedy to Becker's pessimistic perspective by realigning Becker's work toward hope for the human being. In doing so, Anton revitalizes interest in Becker's work and its relevance to philosophy of communication. Anton begins with general comments summarizing Becker's worldview indicating that Becker's thoughts provide us with an excellent opening to explore questions of life and death but with the intention of shifting Becker's project toward a more constructive horizon and vision. Specifically, Anton recalls Becker's naturalistic position that human beings are animals; we are similar to all other animals on the planet; and we are subject to the same basic needs and then we die. Becker's naturalism gives birth to a theological dimension of life that situates cultures as religious institutions; systems that promise meaning that transcends biological death; and a general biological curiosity where seek to understand ourselves driven we have a biological drive toward a self-definition situated within an epic cosmology (p. 4–5). Anton describes Becker's philosophy as arriving at the most important question concerning human life. Anton argues that most human beings carry on as if the “vital truths” about man do not exist (p. 5) and that these truths have been muted over the past 2 centuries through the development of new fields of studies in psychiatry, psychology, education, anthropology, and sociology. Anton claims that today we are now, more than ever, aware of the possibilities of this ever-present self-delusion (p. 4)

Aesthetics · Afterlife · Epistemology · Meaning (existential) · Naturalism · Psychoanalysis · Relevance (law) · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Law · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices