Zapffe's view is that humans are born with an overdeveloped consciousness (
self-reflection,
self-knowledge) which does not fit into
nature's design. The human craving for justification on matters such as life, death and meaning cannot be satisfied, hence
humanity has a need that life cannot fully satisfy. The tragedy, following this theory, is that humans spend their time trying to dull their consciousness, to escape the burdens of existential reflection. The human being is thus a
paradox, given that self-reflection is one of the prime attributes associated with human consciousness. Death anxiety is a major part of this reflection, according to Zapffe, and the human being is unique among living beings in the ability to reflect on their own forthcoming death. In "
The Last Messiah", Zapffe described four principal defense mechanisms that humankind uses to avoid facing this paradox: •
Isolation is "a fully arbitrary dismissal from consciousness of all disturbing and destructive thought and feeling". •
Anchoring is the "fixation of points within, or construction of walls around, the liquid fray of consciousness". == Other interests and works ==