How do we cope with the knowledge that we will all die some day? In his book “The Worm at the Core,” Sheldon Solomon argues that, due to the sophistication of our neo-cortex, humans are uniquely haunted by the prospect of our own death. Solomon discusses many theories of death “terror management,” or how people cope with the looming terror of our own death.
Many people unconsciously practice terror management in the form of immortality projects, which are ways of extending one’s legacy after death and ensuring a personal sense of meaning in our lives. Many immortality projects, such as having children or producing art, are largely benign. However, many actually work against the longevity and well-being of our species, although they may work to preserve our own personal sense of immortality. Immortality projects are commonly based on wealth or the accumulation of material goods, which is environmentally destructive. Because many of our current environmental problems come from overconsumption, it is deeply ironic and sad that many choose to extend their legacy through material means.
This drive to create immortality projects can also be harnessed for good. Humans will always need a way to cope with the idea of our own deaths. And, as the effects of climate change become more prominent for those in industrialized nations, the drive of the globally wealthy to create immortality projects will increase.
Given this, a cultural shift away from consumerism as an immortality project in industrialized nations, and toward the enactment of positive environmental change as an immortality project may be one of humanity’s best tools in combating the climate crisis. Many in industrialized nations have extensive global influence in comparison to those in other parts of the world. If we choose to cope with our own deaths through environmental action, perhaps we can use immortality projects as a way to sustain the livelihood of our species and others, not just our own personal legacy.
Works Cited:
Solomon, Sheldon, et al. The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life. Penguin Books, 2016.
ANTHROPOCENE EPOCH. Vajiram and Ravi. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://vajiramias.com/current-affairs/anthropocene-epoch/5cee5ced1d5def75e6de0fce/.
In class, we struggled to contemplate what a post-capitalist world might look like. From what I’m gleaning from your blog post, capitalism is inherently an immortality project or way of coping with the inevitability of death. To potentially enter a post-capitalist society, we need a new way to create an immortality project and your blog post has the answer: an environmental movement to protect the planet for future generations, likely entailing a significant or complete stop of our uncontrollable capitalist consumption. But in what ways would someone gain a symbolic sense of immortality in an environmental movement? This is what I feel is missing from your blog post, so let me give you an example. The director of the film Albatross (2017), Chris Jordan, has gained a symbolic sense of immortality through his visual work of art, as well as the way his film has contributed to the environmental movement in terms of plastic pollution, but also, as yet another example how interconnected we are with the world.
Thank you Lillian for sharing such an insightful piece on immortality projects! I was also pondering the idea of these projects, and attempting to identify what makes certain projects “good” and others “bad” for the environment. I soon realized that immortality projects that are centered on the self tend to be more dangerous for the future of our world. As discussed in the Worm at the Core, two main forms of terror management are fame and the boosting of one’s own self-esteem. These methods of terror management can be translated into immortality projects, such as media influencers or even reproduction. However, these projects still damage the environment, as many influencers promote mass consumerism to their fan base, and simply by bringing another human into the world, you are doubling your ecological footprint. Therefore, immortality projects that are centered on self-preservation and creating either physical or electronically based proof of your existence can promote climate change.
However, I do agree that some immortality projects can help mitigate the effects of climate change. I do see these projects as centered around collective action, rather than simply self-preservation. These collective immortality projects can be having your name associated with climate change policies, working for a sustainability NGO or being an anti-capitalist protestor. Even creating art, music or other physical representations of the state of the world can bring awareness to climate change and promote others to take action. While none of these roles will likely bring you fame or result in your name being remembered throughout time, they will allow you to take action that will influence our world eternally, which is a true immortality project.
Currently, most of society has subscribed solely to self-centered immortality projects. And I wouldn’t necessarily place this blame on individuals, as we live in a capitalistic society that constantly promotes this individualism and consumerism. As discussed by Ahmed in “White Supremacism in the Earth System,” our system has forced us to find self-maximization by “the plunder of the ‘Others.’” The Others can be other humans, species or even the planet itself. By promoting individualism, we “other” the Earth, blinding ourselves to the connectivity within this system, and focusing on efforts to preserve ourselves. Therefore, even our views on our own mortality are taking advantage of the systems surrounding us through our various immortality projects.
In order to switch our prioritization of self-preservation immortality projects to collective ones, we must change our societal view of death. If we view death as part of a collective whole, as inevitable, and not as something to be scared of, it makes more sense to manage our terror of death by making a sustainable impact. By opening a dialogue about death, and entertaining ideas of connectivity among all organisms in this world, we may be able to understand the importance of collective immortality projects. Once our view of death has been changed, we can focus on more sustainable actions, such as composting our lo