In an attempt to explain humans’ relationship with death, a growing body of psychologists adhere to terror management theory. The theory suggests that subconscious reminders of death cause people to gravitate toward cultural groundings, such as religion or xenophobia. Nationalism, spirituality or our delegation of nonhuman animals to a lesser status are part and parcel of how humans assign meaning to their own lives.
In an enlightening meditation on life’s end, “Flight From Death” interviews insightful psychologists and philosophers to flesh out these ideas.
