The title of my book includes the phrase “The Origins of Evil.” The full title is In the Shadow of Sun Mountain: The Psychology of Othering and the Origins of Evil. I want to share some of the writing I’ve been working on around this theme.
Humans have grappled with the concept of evil ever since we became conscious—since we gained the ability to understand what others feel, a capacity tied to the theory of mind. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been preoccupied with the ways humans treat one another—whether it’s the large-scale horror of war or the quiet, everyday conflicts between neighbors. Ernest Becker’s perspective on this resonates deeply with me, and his work continues to shape how I think about these issues.
Ernest Becker viewed evil not as an external force or inherent quality but as a human creation, deeply rooted in our existential condition. According to Becker, the psychological strategies we use to deal with the fear of death give rise to evil. At its core, Becker saw evil as the destructive outcomes of humanity's denial of mortality, expressed through the dehumanization, domination, and destruction of others.
Evil as the Byproduct of Death Denial
Becker believed that humans, aware of their mortality, develop cultural worldviews or meaning systems that give their lives significance and offer a sense of symbolic immortality. These worldviews—whether religious, political, or ideological—help shield individuals from existential terror. However, when these worldviews are threatened, people react defensively and often violently. Evil, in Becker’s terms, is what results when individuals or societies use domination, violence, or oppression to preserve their illusions of immortality and meaning.
The Role of "Otherness" in Evil
For Becker, the creation of the "other" lies at the heart of human evil. To preserve their meaning systems, people project their fears and insecurities onto those who hold different worldviews. By dehumanizing others, they justify violence, exclusion, or oppression. In this way, evil is often framed as a necessary act to protect the "good"—a tragic irony Becker frequently emphasized.
Evil as an Attempt to Eradicate Evil
Becker saw evil as a paradox: much of human violence is committed in the name of eliminating evil. Whether through religious crusades, genocides, or wars, societies often justify atrocities as moral imperatives to rid the world of perceived threats. However, this effort to purge the world of "evil" only perpetuates it. Becker argued that this cycle is driven by humanity's unconscious fear of mortality and the desire to assert control over an uncontrollable reality.
Heroism and Evil
Becker connected evil to humanity’s desperate pursuit of heroism, the drive to achieve significance in the face of death. He argued that this pursuit can lead to both constructive and destructive outcomes. When heroism involves creativity, compassion, or self-transcendence, it can inspire greatness. However, when it involves domination over others, it leads to evil. He noted that totalitarian ideologies and imperial conquests often stem from this darker side of heroism, as leaders and followers alike seek to assert their worldview at the expense of others.
Evil as the Fear of Impermanance and Insignificance
Evil, in his view, is also rooted in humanity’s fear of impermanence and insignificance. The knowledge of our impermanence drives people to cling to meaning systems that promise eternal significance, or symbolic immortality. When these systems are threatened by alternative perspectives or "others," people lash out. This existential anxiety becomes the psychological basis for atrocities as individuals and societies attempt to assert their importance by diminishing or annihilating others.
Systemic Evil
Becker recognized that evil often becomes systemic, embedded in cultural and institutional frameworks. When groups define themselves as morally or spiritually superior, they create structures that dehumanize and marginalize others. For example, he linked the violence of colonization to the death anxiety of the colonizers, who sought to suppress indigenous cultures to reinforce their own symbolic systems. This has happened throughout humanity to a wide range of marginalized populations. You can see it today, played out all over the world.
Ernest Becker Quotes about Evil
"Men cause evil by wanting heroically to triumph over it, because man is a frightened animal who tries to triumph, an animal who will not admit his own insignificance." This underscores the paradoxical nature of evil—how humanity's denial of insignificance leads to destructive heroism.
"Man’s natural and inevitable urge to deny mortality and achieve a heroic self-image are the root causes of human evil." This directly ties evil to the existential dread that drives people to deny their creatureliness and seek immortality through domination.”
"The need for self-esteem entails the denigration of others." Becker saw the quest for personal or cultural significance as inherently competitive, often leading to the devaluation or destruction of those perceived as "threats."
The Solution to the Problem of Evil: Consciousness of Mortality
Becker believed that the solution to evil lies in confronting our fear of death rather than projecting it onto others.
I’ve written a lot about how artists can channel this awareness into their work, using it as both a buffer against anxiety and a constructive, non-destructive way to confront and process death anxiety.
He advocated for humility and self-awareness, urging humanity to recognize the shared condition of mortality. By facing our fears head-on, we could reduce the cycles of violence and othering that perpetuate evil.
In Becker’s framework, evil is not inherent to human nature but a symptom of our existential condition. It arises from our denial of death, our need for meaning, and our tendency to dehumanize others to sustain the fragile illusions that protect us from existential terror.
His work challenges us to confront these truths with honesty and courage, offering a path toward a more compassionate and self-aware existence.
“Art is the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an aesthetic end.”