Hi Peter,

Thanks for the enlightening review. A reminder to me that I need to tone down my reactions to what I perceive as threatening behaviors and situations. It's only the 'primeval reaction' kicking in!

Glad you are still writing.

If this review is accurate of Becker's book, then Becker is not saying that death is the main motivation (over a certain percentage of the other things that motivate us), but instead saying that death is at the core of all of our motivations. A statement that is plainly false. The position is rationalized though by saying that all of the other motivations and focuses out there are mere distractions trying to get away from the fear of death. That rationalization causally acknowledges other motivations, but pits them all in a weakened state instead of actually acknowledging them as more then just distractions.

There are both positive motivations that cause people to move through life in a healthy and positive way, that have nothing to do with death (romance, family bonds, music, ect) as well as other motivations that are darker or bring people down, that also have nothing to do with death. The struggles and worries of the world, issues with trust and distrust, blind greed to ignore the people around them, even great despair that is sometimes focused on to the point that death is not feared any more and instead sought after.

What can be said is that death is a powerful fear, and the closer one is to death the greater it's impact is on our focus. Death is not the root cause for all of our other motivations though. If anyone wants to see stronger impulses then death then they have to look at families, or possibly have one of their own.

Who is Becker?