Death, Physics and Wishful Thinking

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Psychology is still an emerging field of science, but some theories like terror-management have held up under scrutiny for decades. The theory proposes that many of our actions and believes are formed from a fear of death. Contrasting the field of psychology with that of physics there is a great amount of difference between the murky human mind and the cold rational nature of space. Physicists are still prone to the same psychological phenomena as everyday people and it shows in their work. Their are many theories which are anthropic in design which go against the rational nature of the universe. Similarly, Quantum Mechanics places emphasis on the observer, humans in this case, as the driving force of physics. Many classical physics theories are founded in conservation which demonstrate a desire for the universe to continue on with humans in it. Determinism is a final branch of physics theories that seek to add meaning to a seemingly chaotic universe.

Key Takeaways:

Terror-management is a psychological concept that was first theorized about thirty years ago and has since stood up well.
The idea of Terror-Management is that humans base many of their ideas and actions on a need to quell their basic fear of mortality.
Some propose that Terror-Management accounts for religion and other forms of dogma, or philosophy, that make the chaos of life feel orderly.

“Terror-management theory can account for puzzling political trends, such as our attraction to outlandish conspiracies and authoritarian leaders.”

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