Death and the Human Condition

About the Book

This is an interdisciplinary work on the somewhat culturally-tabooed topic of death—psychological, psychiatric, historical, developmental, biogenetic, biomedical, and theological—its nature, consequences, and implications as explored and conceptualized by current living Americans. Included also among its hypothesized and associated concepts is the doctrine of an afterlife, as well as various attitudes and reactions to death as the perceived chief limiting factor of the human condition (denial, avoidance, anger, etc.). Unlike its handling by other books on death, the close relationship of death as a terminating phenomenon of life is thoroughly explored in the context of such central concepts of Christian moral theology as salvation, justification, free will, justice, love, anger, sin, expiation, forgiveness, retribution, etc.

This book is undoubtedly discriminably different from other serious works of non-fiction if only because it deals with the culturally-tabooed topic of death. Nevertheless, many individuals in all cultures are at least privately or secretly interested in this topic because of the mystery surrounding it, but usually more so, because it inevitably involves themselves in the loss of their own identities in their own culture, and also, very relevantly, stimulates much speculation about their own fate in the hereafter.

All of the controversial issues in this book are examined both for and against the Christian theistic view by presenting material by a Christian non-believer as well as by a Christian believer.

About the Author

David P. Ausubel, M.D., Ph.D. was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1918. During his long and active professional career he has pursued professionally the related fields of psychology and psychiatry as a clinician, researcher, and theorist. He is best known for his work in narcotic addiction, ego development, and meaningful learning and retention.

Dr. Ausubel was previously on the faculty of the Universities of Illinois and Toronto and of the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He retired in 1994 with the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Currently he lives with his wife in the lower Hudson Valley of NY.