Whatever Can Die is Beautiful: Transforming Our Fear of Death with Social Psychologist Sheldon Solomon
From Crying in My Jacuzzi with Dana Balicki by dana balicki
July 3, 2025 · 1h 6m · Season 3 · Episode 9
About this episode
Dr. Sheldon Solomon discusses how death anxiety influences human behavior and societal issues.
Death anxiety lurks beneath virtually everything we do. Our capitalistic drive for endless growth, our political polarization, even our addictions to consumption – all stem from our desperate attempts to buffer ourselves against the terror of our finite existence! Dr. Sheldon Solomon, pioneering psychologist behind Terror Management Theory, explains how when death is on our minds (ie, during pandemics, live-streamed g3n0c1de, climate collapse, wars, etc), humans cling more fervently to cultur...
People in this episode
Host: Dana Balicki
Guest: Sheldon Solomon
Topics covered
- death anxiety
- Terror Management Theory
- capitalism
- political polarization
- human behavior
- climate collapse
Keywords
- death anxiety
- Terror Management Theory
- capitalism
- politics
- human behavior
- climate change
- pandemics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Terror Management Theory
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