读后感：《否定死亡》

《否定死亡》读后感

文/紫若蓝

看到菲儿在组织书评活动，我从GoodRead搬一篇来凑数。这篇书评本来是用英文写的。我请ChatGPT翻译了一下。话说ChatGpT翻译有时候也不是太靠谱，80% 还可以，但关键时刻就会掉链，所以我也修改了一下。也不知道怎么给菲儿投稿，就发在我的博客里吧。祝菲儿和文学城读者、作者, 特别是海外原创论坛的作者们新年快乐！

《否定死亡》（The Denial of Death) 是一本非常学术味儿的书，探讨了对死亡的认识如何影响或塑造人类的心理。我感觉这更像是一本需要认真学习的教材，而不是一本可以随意听听的书。我是在一个YouTube视频中听说这本书的，原以为它是一部关于激励的自助书籍。我是大错特错了。

这绝对不是一本充满激励性的书。书中没有否认死亡、继续生活的内容，而是深入探讨了对死亡的认知如何塑造人类的心理，没有对死亡或生命的任何美化之词。

我对这本书的评分是3分，这并不完全反映书本身的质量，而更多是基于我听这本书时的体验，因为我对学术研究并没有太大兴趣。

从听这本书的过程中，我有几个非常深刻的印象点。首先，心理学是一个非常复杂的领域，充满了关于被误解的性观念和混乱的粪便情感，这些内容对于我这样的普通读者来说并不讨喜。

书中还提到了几个心理学巨匠，比如荣格、弗洛伊德、克尔凯郭尔、奥托·兰克等等。其中克尔凯郭尔和奥托·兰克让我印象深刻。即使只是开车时听这本书，他们的一些理论和思考依然触动到了我的内心深处，触摸到我的灵魂。特别是我记得克尔凯郭尔提到，现代社会人造的生活模式，人们盲目追逐那些模板化的梦想，却迷失了自己作为个体的身份。比如所谓被社会公认追求的成就其实没有具体的意义，只是虚幻的东西。这个观点我是第一次听说，也震动到我。我想深入阅读克尔凯郭尔和奥托·兰克的相关著作。

以下是ChatGPT的总结：

《否认死亡》是一本由欧内斯特·贝克创作的普利策奖获奖书籍，深入探讨了人类的生存状态及对死亡认知的心理反应。贝克认为，人类通过创造各种象征体系，如文化、宗教和成就，来否认死亡的必然性，并在面对死亡时获得意义感。他探讨了这种否认如何塑造人类行为，驱动野心，以及影响我们对自我和世界的理解。这本书整体上对人类存在的复杂性以及我们如何应对死亡的知识进行了深刻的反思。

《否认死亡》引用了多位重要的心理学家和哲学家，他们的思想贯穿了对人类行为和死亡反应的探讨。这些人物包括：

    1.    弗洛伊德：以精神分析理论及无意识概念著称，弗洛伊德关于人类行为和动机的理论影响了贝克对心理的理解。

    2.    奥托·兰克：弗洛伊德的同事，这位精神分析学家提出了与出生创伤和对不朽追求有关的理论，这些在贝克的作品中有所探讨。

    3.    马克思：哲学家和经济学家，马克思关于社会、权力动态及地位追求的观点也在书中提及。

    4.    费尔巴哈：以对宗教和神学的批判而闻名，费尔巴哈关于人类投射和神性本质的思想被引用。

    5.    克尔凯郭尔：贝克从克尔凯郭尔的存在主义主题中汲取灵感，尤其是个体对意义的追求以及对死亡的恐惧。

    6.    海德格尔：另一位存在主义哲学家，海德格尔关于真实存在、死亡及向死而生的概念也被探讨。

    7.    保罗·蒂利希：一位神学家和存在主义哲学家，他关于终极关怀、勇气和焦虑的理论在贝克的论述中也有涉及。

这些思想家共同构成了贝克对人类心理、文化构建以及个体如何应对死亡这一存在现实的探讨。

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The original English version:

The Denial of Death is a very academic book. It’s about how knowledge of death impacting or influencing human psyche. I felt it means to be a textbook to be studied instead of casually listening to it. I heard about this book from a YouTube video. I thought it was self help book about motivation.  How wrong I was. 

This is definitely not a motivational book. Nothing about denial of death and moving on with your life. Rather, it’s how the knowledge about death shaping human psyche. No glorification of either death or living. 

I rated the book as 3 not necessarily reflecting on the quality of the book itself, it’s more about my experience listening to it given the fact that I am not into academic learning the subject. 

There are a few imprints I collected from listening to the book. First of all is that psychology is very messy subject, full of emotions around misconstrued sexuality and confused  feces, which were not appetizing to read for general readers.

The book also exploded a few psychology giants, like Jung, Sigmund Freud, Kierkegaard, Otto Rank and etc.  I was impressed by Kierkegaard and Otto Rank. Even just listening while driving, some of their theories or thinkings reached inside of me , touched my soul.  Specifically, I think it’s from Kierkegaard, he mentioned that the modern society cut out patterns of life people blindly following and chasing phantoms of cookie cutter dreams and losing their own identity of the being.  Something like accomplishments were phantoms.  This is from my memory of listening to it. I want to read more about his passages about Kierkegaard and Otto Rank.

Here are the ChatGpt summary: 

"The Denial of Death" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Ernest Becker that delves into the human condition and our psychological responses to the awareness of mortality. Becker argues that humans create various symbolic systems, such as culture, religion, and achievements, to deny the inevitability of death and to feel significant in the face of mortality. He explores how this denial shapes human behavior, drives ambitions, and influences our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Overall, the book offers a profound reflection on the complexities of human existence and the ways we cope with the knowledge of our mortality.

"The Denial of Death" by Ernest Becker references several important psychologists and philosophers throughout its exploration of human behavior and responses to mortality. Some of these figures include:

1. **Sigmund Freud**: Known for his work on psychoanalysis and the concept of the unconscious mind, Freud's ideas about human behavior and motivations influenced Becker's understanding of the psyche.

2. **Otto Rank**: A psychoanalyst and colleague of Freud, Rank's theories on the significance of birth trauma and the search for immortality are discussed in Becker's work.

3. **Karl Marx**: The philosopher and economist Marx is mentioned in relation to his views on society, power dynamics, and the pursuit of status.

4. **Ludwig Feuerbach**: Known for his critique of religion and theology, Feuerbach's ideas about human projection and the nature of divinity are referenced in the book.

5. **Kierkegaard**: Becker draws on existentialist themes from Kierkegaard, particularly regarding the individual's struggle for meaning and the fear of death.

6. **Heidegger**: Another existentialist philosopher, Heidegger's concepts of authenticity, mortality, and being-toward-death are explored in relation to human existence and anxiety about death.

7. **Paul Tillich**: A theologian and existentialist philosopher, Tillich's ideas about ultimate concerns, courage, and anxiety are discussed in the context of Becker's thesis.

These thinkers collectively contribute to Becker's exploration of human psychology, cultural constructs, and the ways in which individuals grapple with the existential reality of mortality.

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