Audiobook8 hours
The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life
Written by Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg and Tom Pyszczynski
Narrated by John Pruden
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
More than one hundred years ago, the American philosopher William James wrote that the knowledge that we must die is "the worm at the core" of the human condition-a universally shared fear that informs all our thoughts and actions, from the great art we create to the devastating wars we wage.
Using data collected from human subjects, Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski show conclusively that the fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars, crave fame, put our health at risk, and disguise our animal nature. The fear of death can also prompt judges to dole out harsher punishments, make children react negatively to people different from themselves, and inflame intolerance and violence.
But the worm at the core need not consume us. This book also reveals how human beings have come to terms with death and learned to lead lives of courage, creativity, and compassion. It infuses our lives with order, stability, significance, and purpose, and these anchors enable us to function moment to moment without becoming overwhelmed by the knowledge of our ultimate fate.
Using data collected from human subjects, Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski show conclusively that the fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars, crave fame, put our health at risk, and disguise our animal nature. The fear of death can also prompt judges to dole out harsher punishments, make children react negatively to people different from themselves, and inflame intolerance and violence.
But the worm at the core need not consume us. This book also reveals how human beings have come to terms with death and learned to lead lives of courage, creativity, and compassion. It infuses our lives with order, stability, significance, and purpose, and these anchors enable us to function moment to moment without becoming overwhelmed by the knowledge of our ultimate fate.
Related to The Worm at the Core
Related audiobooks
The Birth and Death of Meaning: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Problem of Man; 2nd Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Peace and Violence in Human Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Evolution of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A General Theory of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pandora's Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Craftsman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Types of Atheism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing To Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of Human Existence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mind Is Flat: The Remarkable Shallowness of the Improvising Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Things Shining: Reading the Western Canon to Find Meaning in a Secular World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Too Soon Old Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Psychology For You
What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 48 Laws of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Starts with Self-Compassion: A Practical Road Map Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How To Win Friends And Influence People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Seduction: An Indispensible Primer on the Ultimate Form of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You’re Not the Only One F*cking Up: Breaking the Endless Cycle of Dating Mistakes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Land of Delusion: Out on the edge with the crackpots and conspiracy-mongers remaking our shared reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Banish Your Inner Critic: Silence the Voice of Self-Doubt to Unleash Your Creativity and Do Your Best Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memory Craft: Improve Your Memory with the Most Powerful Methods in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Worm at the Core
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
20 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This books explains why our species has had such has had and continues to have so much trouble. One of the most enlightening books I have come across.