DECOMPOSING MODERNITY Images of Human Existence in the writings of Ernest Becker B y Stephen William Martin A THESIS in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters Degree in Philosophical Foundat in Philosophical Theology at The Institute for Christian Studies Advisor: James H. Olthuis December, 1992 This work is not to be copied without the express written permission of the author and the Institute for Christian Studies. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the autumnal chill of 1989, Ernest Becker was to me nothing more than a name on a list of supplemental readings for ray seminar in Philosophical Theology at the Institute for Christian Studies. When I chanced across a copy of his The Denial of Death. I had no idea that I was embarking on an adventure that would take a long three year struggle, against many dangers and temptations, to complete. I have been fortunate in that I have not taken this journey into the world of Ernest Becker alone. The Institute for Christian Studies has been my community for these past years. I wish to acknowledge it, and especially the following: my mentor, Jim Olthuis; my internal reader, Brian Walsh; and my friends and fellow junior members Richard Middleton, Nik Ansell and Lori Yaccato. You have helped me keep my resolve and press ahead. Thanks are also due to Professor Donald Evans of Victoria College, University of Toronto, who so graciously agreed to serve as external reader of this work. I also wish to acknowledge the community of Christians in Cape Town, South Africa—especially my friends Diane Davis and Lesley Fordred. Your struggle to be faithful within a decomposing a p a r t h e id has inspired this work and helped me to think it could make a difference. I should acknowledge the Christian Community at 678 Euciid Ave., ray home. You have put up with my moodiness as I have lived Becker’s dream by p ro x y . Lastly, I wish to thank the supervisors at my workplace, Locksley Robertson, Tamara Rasmussen and Rebecca Lovering. You have been generous beyond the call of duty in granting me time off to complete this work. This work is dedicated to the memory of my father William Martin (1931-1987) DECOMPOSING MODERNITY: CONTENTS INTRODUCTION A. THE "FALL" OF MODERNITY..................................................................................................2 B. ERNEST BECKER AND THE DREAM OF ENLIGHTENMENT MAN........................................4 1. B e c k e r’ s Images o f ’ Man’ ....................................................................................4 2. Our Thesis: Facing the Death of Modernity’s Self Images................................................................................. **5 3. The Plan of this Work: Tracing the Career of Modern Self-Images in the Ernest Becker’s Two V is io n s o f ’ Man’ ....................... ............................................................................6 C. APPROACHING ERNEST BECKER.............................................................................................8 1. B ecke r and th e S o c ia l S c ie n c e s ......................................................................8 2. B ecke r and T h e o lo g y ...............................................................................................8 3. The Distinctiveness of Our Approach........................................................ 10 D. THE CULTURE OF MODERNITY..................................... .......................................................12 1. From D ark Ages to E n lig h te n m e n t................................................................. 12 2. T hree Modern Them es:...........................................................................................13 a ) S e c u la r ity : The banishm ent o f G o d ................................................14 b) N a ture as sta g e f o r fa u s tia n c o n q u e s t........................................15 c ) P ro g re s s : A s e c u la r u to p ia .............................................................**16 3. No More U to p ia s : The F a ll o f M o d e rn ity .................................................17 CHAPTER ONE: HOMO POET A I . INTRODUCTION: FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS AND THE "SCIENCE OF ’ MAN” ' ................ 24 I I . AN ONTOLOGY OF STRIVING........................................................................................................ 26 A. LIFE AND THE LIFE-WORLD............................................................................................... 26 1. The S t r iv in g C h a ra c te r o f " L i f e " ............................................................. 26 2 . The L ife - W o r ld ........................................................................................................ 27 B. ACTION AND INSTINCT........................................................................................................ 28 1. Progressive Freedom of R eactivity ............................................................ 28 2. A b s tr a c tio n ............................................................................................................... 29 C. SUMMARY: THE NEED FOR A NEW STAGE IN EVOLUTION..........................................29 I I I . FIRM MEANING: THE GOAL OF HUMAN STRIVING.............................................................. 30 A. MEANING.................................................................................................................................... 31 1. The Achievem ent o f M eaning............................................................................ 31 2. Meaning and S e lf-E s te e m ................................................................................... 32 3. Meaning and Mastery .............. ...................... ...................................................... 33 4. Meaning and Contingency ................................................................................... 34 5. The A lie n a te d Modem C o n sciou sn ess..........................................................35 B. SELF-ESTEEM...........................................................................................................................37 1. Anxiety... ................................................................. ............................................... 37 2. The O e d ip a l T r a n s it io n ......................................................................................38 3. The Gendered Dimensions of the Oedipal Transition ....................... 39 C. STAGING THE SELF............................................................................................................... 40 1. S o c ia lit y as P ro b le m .......................................................................................... 41 2. Learning the Lines: Deference and Demeanour.............. 4 1 3. Power, Language and I d e n t i t y ........................................................................42 4 . The Econom ics o f S e lf-E s te e m ........................................................................43 5. Summary and Transition to H o m o P o e t a ..................................................... 44 IV . HOMO P O E T A AS NORMATIVE MODEL OF HUMAN BECOMING.................................................46 A. GOOD ART Al® BAD ART......................................................................................................46 1. The Category of the Aesthetic ..................................... ................................46 2. T w is te d P e rs o n s ......................................................................................................48 3. F e tis h is m ......................... ........................................................................................ 48 B . THE CONVERSION TO AUTHENTICITY...............................................................................50 1. The Problem of Strength ......... ......................................................................... 50 2. C r i t i c a l Reason......................................................................................................51 3. S o c ia l S e lf and Whole O b je c ts ......................................................................52 4 . The R eassert io n o f Autonomy.......................................................................... 53 C. am CRITICISMS OF HOMO P O E T A ................................................................................... 54 1. Problem s w ith th e Autonomous S e lf ............................................................ 54 2 . The N o rm a liz a tio n o f B ro k e n n e s s ................................................* ............. 58 3 . The D ia le c t ic s o f Freedom ...............................................................................59 4 . L e a v in g Open th e Q u e s tio n o f God...............................................................59 CHAPTER TWO: HOMO HEROICA I . INTRODUCTION: THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY..................................... .... .....................................71 A. THE CHANGE IN TONE IN BECKER’ S LATER WORKS.................................................. 71 B. HOMO HEROICA: THE NEW IMAGE OF ’ MAN’ ....... .........................................................72 C. THE UNDERSIDE OF ’ MAN’ ................................................................................................. 74 I I . DEVELOPMENTAL AND STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF HOMO HEROICA ...................................75 A. THE UNDERSIDE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT......................................................................75