I hadn't heard of Becker. Thanks for the pointer. The Wikipedia article on Denial of Death is very good!
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The premise of The Denial of Death is that human civilization is ultimately an elaborate, symbolic defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality, which in turn acts as the emotional and intellectual response to our basic survival mechanism. Becker argues that a basic duality in human life exists between the physical world of objects and biology, and a symbolic world of human meaning. Thus, since humanity has a dualistic nature consisting of a physical self and a symbolic self, we are able to transcend the dilemma of mortality by focusing our attention mainly on our symbolic selves, i.e. our culturally-based self esteem, which Becker calls “heroism”: a “defiant creation of meaning” expressing “the myth of the significance of human life” as compared to other animals.
This symbolic self-focus takes the form of an individual's "causa sui project," (sometimes called an “immortality project,” or a “heroism project”). A person’s "causa sui project” acts as their immortality vessel, whereby a person creates meaning, or continues to create meaning, beyond their own life-span.[3] By being part of symbolic constructs with more significance and longevity than one’s body—cultural activities and beliefs— one can gain a sense of legacy or (in the case of religion) an afterlife. In other words, by living up to (or especially exceeding) cultural standards, people feel they can become part of something eternal: something that will never die as compared to their physical body. This, in turn, gives people the feeling that their lives have meaning, a purpose, and significance in the grand scheme of things i.e. that they are “heroic contributors to world life” engaged in an “immortality project.”
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Since you already know about this, why spend so much time on the topics of this post? They are all "immortality projects."
First off, knowing about it doesn't stop the biological impulse. Just like reading about behavioral biases doesn't eliminate them.
But I don't see these as an immortality projects at all. I'm trying to solve for how to live a "good life" (with love, peace/happiness/fulfilment, comforts) in which I find meaning. Reflecting on how to get there seems like time well spent.
Since my first comment, I've read your About page and believe that you are sincere in your interests and quests. Love, peace/happiness/fulfilment, comforts, etc. are all terrific, especially at the physical and emotional levels. But meaning? I suspect that Becker would categorize the search for meaning as an immortality project. It's all in one's head, which is where immortality projects live.
I've just be reading the Amazon extract of Toby Ord's "The Precipice" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V9GHKYP/). In his review of humanity's history, Ord points out that the only reason we have succeeded as a species is that we have learned how to share are insights and to work together. (https://youtu.be/CrMIEz_mSJM) Ord also points out that if we survive the challenges facing us in this and the next few centuries, we can anticipate a future of unimaginable improvements in people's lives, extending, perhaps, over many billions of years and vast swaths of the universe.
While reading it struck me why Immortality Projects are not necessarily futile quests and should not necessarily be so quickly dismissed. Our species is potentially immortal, or a good-enough approximation. It flourishes, to the extent that it does, through the efforts of the millions of people who are living their individual immortality projects. Each person will die, but civilization will live on (if we're lucky). So cynical as I have been in previous comments, this suggests that cynicism toward immortality projects is not necessarily justified.
In some ways this is similar to evolution. Individual organisms live and die. In the course of its life, an organism may contribute to evolution -- through random mutation, through mate selection, etc. The overall result is the evolution of increasingly intelligent and capable organisms. Similarly with immortality projects. Each individual dies. But as a result of all the combined immortality projects, civilization has the possibility of surviving and flourishing,
Great tips. Thanks! Just would like to add my secret sauce on sticking to goals and it has worked in the past 2 years. Before that, I was just like 99% of people forgetting in 2 weeks. First you have to find someone else who has his own goals and then is to sit with him weekly, biweekly or monthly, depending on your schedule to review each other. You have to split you goal into timeframes you will sit and review. you can add a bit of flavor like if whoever falls short of KPIs, get punished by giving money. after a while, you will see achieving goals become a competition. Step 1. Split the goal into timeframes, step 2: have someone review it step3: turn it into competition mindset
Like an "accountability buddy"? I've had this conversation before but never committed to it. Great idea and thanks for surfacing again❤. Going to pester my friends with this right now.
All this thinking about life is just a way to keep from thinking that you will eventually die.
Isn't everything? You might enjoy Becker's Denial of Death.
I hadn't heard of Becker. Thanks for the pointer. The Wikipedia article on Denial of Death is very good!
================
The premise of The Denial of Death is that human civilization is ultimately an elaborate, symbolic defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality, which in turn acts as the emotional and intellectual response to our basic survival mechanism. Becker argues that a basic duality in human life exists between the physical world of objects and biology, and a symbolic world of human meaning. Thus, since humanity has a dualistic nature consisting of a physical self and a symbolic self, we are able to transcend the dilemma of mortality by focusing our attention mainly on our symbolic selves, i.e. our culturally-based self esteem, which Becker calls “heroism”: a “defiant creation of meaning” expressing “the myth of the significance of human life” as compared to other animals.
This symbolic self-focus takes the form of an individual's "causa sui project," (sometimes called an “immortality project,” or a “heroism project”). A person’s "causa sui project” acts as their immortality vessel, whereby a person creates meaning, or continues to create meaning, beyond their own life-span.[3] By being part of symbolic constructs with more significance and longevity than one’s body—cultural activities and beliefs— one can gain a sense of legacy or (in the case of religion) an afterlife. In other words, by living up to (or especially exceeding) cultural standards, people feel they can become part of something eternal: something that will never die as compared to their physical body. This, in turn, gives people the feeling that their lives have meaning, a purpose, and significance in the grand scheme of things i.e. that they are “heroic contributors to world life” engaged in an “immortality project.”
================
Since you already know about this, why spend so much time on the topics of this post? They are all "immortality projects."
First off, knowing about it doesn't stop the biological impulse. Just like reading about behavioral biases doesn't eliminate them.
But I don't see these as an immortality projects at all. I'm trying to solve for how to live a "good life" (with love, peace/happiness/fulfilment, comforts) in which I find meaning. Reflecting on how to get there seems like time well spent.
Since my first comment, I've read your About page and believe that you are sincere in your interests and quests. Love, peace/happiness/fulfilment, comforts, etc. are all terrific, especially at the physical and emotional levels. But meaning? I suspect that Becker would categorize the search for meaning as an immortality project. It's all in one's head, which is where immortality projects live.
I've just be reading the Amazon extract of Toby Ord's "The Precipice" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V9GHKYP/). In his review of humanity's history, Ord points out that the only reason we have succeeded as a species is that we have learned how to share are insights and to work together. (https://youtu.be/CrMIEz_mSJM) Ord also points out that if we survive the challenges facing us in this and the next few centuries, we can anticipate a future of unimaginable improvements in people's lives, extending, perhaps, over many billions of years and vast swaths of the universe.
While reading it struck me why Immortality Projects are not necessarily futile quests and should not necessarily be so quickly dismissed. Our species is potentially immortal, or a good-enough approximation. It flourishes, to the extent that it does, through the efforts of the millions of people who are living their individual immortality projects. Each person will die, but civilization will live on (if we're lucky). So cynical as I have been in previous comments, this suggests that cynicism toward immortality projects is not necessarily justified.
In some ways this is similar to evolution. Individual organisms live and die. In the course of its life, an organism may contribute to evolution -- through random mutation, through mate selection, etc. The overall result is the evolution of increasingly intelligent and capable organisms. Similarly with immortality projects. Each individual dies. But as a result of all the combined immortality projects, civilization has the possibility of surviving and flourishing,
Great tips. Thanks! Just would like to add my secret sauce on sticking to goals and it has worked in the past 2 years. Before that, I was just like 99% of people forgetting in 2 weeks. First you have to find someone else who has his own goals and then is to sit with him weekly, biweekly or monthly, depending on your schedule to review each other. You have to split you goal into timeframes you will sit and review. you can add a bit of flavor like if whoever falls short of KPIs, get punished by giving money. after a while, you will see achieving goals become a competition. Step 1. Split the goal into timeframes, step 2: have someone review it step3: turn it into competition mindset
Like an "accountability buddy"? I've had this conversation before but never committed to it. Great idea and thanks for surfacing again❤. Going to pester my friends with this right now.
Exactly. All you need one buddy who is interested in achieving goals. If that person is competitive person, much better. He will be triggered )
Happy new year, Frederik. Here’s to new beginnings💚 🥃
Happy new year! Huzzah :)
Great article. Happy new year, brother!