The Denial File
What We Can't Think About—and Why

Lethal Inspection
Cory Foster | March 31, 2011
One of my favorite television programs is an animated series called Futurama. It follows the life of a late-20’s slacker named Fry who finds himself …

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
Bill Bornschein | March 28, 2011
The Christian observance of the season of Lent, the period of spiritual preparation leading up to Easter Sunday, is inaugurated by the sacramental known as …

Seeing Through Violence
Kirby Farrell | March 24, 2011
Instead of grumbling about violence in media and the movies, lets consider what sort of work it’s doing. Granted, this is the United States, where …

Religion Versus Spirituality?
Daniel Liechty | March 21, 2011
The most recent Point of Inquiry podcast was a very interesting discussion about the increased use of the term “spiritual” to describe oneself, as opposed …

Today’s Secret Word is “Triage”
Kirby Farrell | March 18, 2011
You’re not fooled. You read the news. You know that “the unemployment rate” is higher than it’s been in decades. Chances are, you also recognize …

Pre-Death Anxiety
Daniel Liechty | March 14, 2011
One of my students recently posed an interesting question. Does Ernest Becker’s idea about the denial of mortality and death being at the root of …

Observations From Egypt
Henry Richards | March 10, 2011
In mid- November, I was with my spouse wandering around (and around) Tahrir square and thereabouts, lost trying to find the Egyptian Museum. That led …

Darling, There’s a Cannibal at the Door
Kirby Farrell | March 7, 2011
Think for a moment about what slavery is. No, not just black folks in chains all their waking lives, but slavery as control of another …