The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life

More than one hundred years ago, the American philosopher William James wrote that the knowledge that we must die is "the worm at the core" of the human condition-a universally shared fear that informs all our thoughts and actions, from the great art we create to the devastating wars we wage.




Using data collected from human subjects, Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski show conclusively that the fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars, c...