Thomas Szasz and Brain Eaters

"The struggle for definition is veritably the struggle for life itself. In the typical Western two men fight desperately for the possession of a gun that has been thrown to the ground: whoever reaches the weapon first shoots and lives; his adversary is shot and dies. In ordinary life, the struggle is not for guns but for words; whoever first defines the situation is the victor; his adversary, the victim. For example, in the family, husband and wife, mother and child do not get along; who defines whom as troublesome or mentally sick?...[the one] who first seizes the word imposes reality on the other; [the one] who defines thus dominates and lives; and [the one] who is defined is subjugated and may be killed."

Ernest Becker was a good friend of Szasz. But Szasz was tenured and Becker wasn't. Becker was fired from several universities because of his support of Szasz.

Szasz was influenced by Frigyes Karanthy, a Hungarian who wrote the novel Capillaria, a world of women. Small men discover the world. They are enslaved by the women, who use them for sex and to build large phallus-shaped buildings, which the women tear down the moment they are built. The women eat the oversized brains of the men. (Paraphrased from Wikipedia)

There is thus the strange position of the dead author. He is loved mostly because he is no longer alive, he has sealed and secured his courage: he has gone to the other world, but has left behind his essence and spirit. He has in every sense conquered death. He is a peaceful memorial to a great struggle. We revere, listen to, and study his words, because he is dead. You cannot struggle against a dead man, or can you? Can the dead be resurrected?