Denial Of Death And The Relationship Between Humans And Other Animals
In this paper, scholars Lori Marino and Michael Mountain draw links between a perceived lack of progress in animal advocacy, and a (sub)conscious human desire to remain separate from animals and not confront our own mortality. As part of this exposition, the article outlines Terror Management Theory, a social psychological theory that “argues that any reminder of our corporeal existence and creatureliness is threatening, even though we may not be consciously aware of why that is.” The authors explore these ideas in the hope that a greater consciousness of these processes will inspire advocates to fine tune their motivations as environmental crises loom ever larger on the horizon.
In a paper, Lori Marino and Michael Mountain take a sobering look at animal advocacy, and try to place it in the context of deep-seated human motivations. Taking work by Ernest Becker as their starting point, they state emphatically that “animal advocacy efforts have largely neglected the core psychological issue […] that we humans have a desire (albeit largely unconscious) to separate ourselves from nature and the other animals.” This desire, they say, is closely linked to a fear of mortality and denial of death. Using “Terror Management Theory (TMT), a social psychological theory which asserts that much of human behavior is motivated by anxiety, however unconscious, about personal mortality,” they further outline the ways that, as humans, we try to transcend our own animal-ness and place ourselves in an exceptional philosophical space.
How these theories dovetail with animal advocacy requires further exploration. “From the terror management perspective,” they say, “the body reminds us of our animal limitations, in particular our certain mortality.” Our desire to deny our animal bodies and mortal limits is a deeply ingrained cultural phenomenon, manifested through all kinds of rituals: “believing in an immortal soul or having some other sense of spiritual power over death; through works of art or science, or just by having an influence on other people that will live on after we die; animistic beliefs, where humans can join with immortal nature gods and spirits,” and more. Still, the authors note that the depth and breadth of this philosophical denial of mortality wasn’t always this way: “Evidence from both modern science and ancient literature suggests that the need to separate ourselves from nature (and therefore our own nature) was not always as strong and destructive as it is today.”
Why is it important for us to recognize these aspects of human psychology? The authors are deeply concerned with the state of the world and write in no uncertain terms that “the only viable future for humankind lies in achieving some level of acceptance of our own mortality and developing a more humble, and ultimately more satisfying, relationship to our fellow animals and the natural world.” By demonstrating and discussing these psychological and social underpinnings, they show that advocates must not simply work for the protection of animals and the environment, but in doing so, they must somehow also be cognizant of these deeper-seated issues if they want to be effective.
Original Abstract:
The focus of this paper is to explore how cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker’s claim that human behavior is largely motivated by fear of death may explain important aspects of our relationship with nonhuman animals. Terror Management Theory (TMT) suggests that when we humans are reminded of our personal mortality, we tend to deny our biological identity or creatureliness and distance ourselves from the other animals, since they remind us of our own mortal nature. In support of this, an abundance of peer-reviewed experimental literature shows that reminders of our own mortality create a strong psychological need to proclaim that “I am not an animal.”
We contend that the denial of death is an important factor in driving how and why our relationships with other animals are fundamentally exploitive and harmful. Even though today there are more animal advocacy and protection organizations than ever, the situation for nonhuman animals continues to deteriorate (e.g. more factory farming, mass extinction of wildlife species, and ocean life under severe stress).
We also suggest that developing a new and more appropriate relationship with the natural world would be a key factor in resolving the question that Becker was never able to answer: How can we deal with the existential anxiety that is engendered by the awareness of our own mortality?