Ernest Becker was a cultural anthropologist born on September 27, 1924 and died in March 6, 1974. He wrote several books studying human nature, specifically trying to understand why man acts the way he does. He posthumously was award the Pulitzer Prize for The Denial of Death which was published just months before his death. Today, it is widely used in university courses from psychology, anthropology, and other fields.Ernest Becker's works were well known for their clarity and interdisciplinary nature where Becker drew upon multiple fields from sociology to philosophy to child development. He felt there was a deep schism between academic disciplines, and it was necessary for some foundational synthesis in order for human knowledge and research to once again help solve human problems rather than seek knowledge solely for its own sake.
Ernest was an army private in World War II and has been said to been involved in rescuing a concentration camp. Not only would it have been frightening to be one of the first outsiders to see a concentration camp, Becker also had a Jewish family background. This experience along with the surrounding zeitgeist of post WWII undoubtedly shaped Becker's later intellectual and life works.
Ernest was an army private in World War II and has been said to been involved in rescuing a concentration camp. Not only would it have been frightening to be one of the first outsiders to see a concentration camp, Becker also had a Jewish family background. This experience along with the surrounding zeitgeist of post WWII undoubtedly shaped Becker's later intellectual and life works.
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