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A Heroic Vision
Author(s) -
Kenel Sally A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
zygon®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-9744
pISSN - 0591-2385
DOI - 10.1111/0591-2385.1261998126
Subject(s) - humanity , blame , symbol (formal) , democracy , sociology , power (physics) , epistemology , psychology , social psychology , philosophy , political science , law , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , politics
Although the empirical studies of Terror Management Theory lend support to Ernest Becker's anthropology, they hardly provide a vision with the power to inspire late twentieth century humanity. Becker's own dark view of what it means to be human is, at least in part, to blame. On the basis of an exploration of the positive implications of the religious symbol of creatureliness, an alternative social theory, that of ecologico‐social democracy, is proposed as a vision that requires and may even inspire heroism.