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Is there a philosophical explanation behind the following statement:

All fear is ultimately the ego's fear of death.

I heard this phrase in Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. I am having difficulty understanding or accepting the idea, although I feel like it's true. What kind of explanation does philosophy have to offer here? How can a fear of heights or a fear of clowns be related to fear of death?

Further, (presuming the statement is true) if one categorically identifies and eradicates his fears one by one, will he will conquer the fear of death?

stoicfury
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Kaushik
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    This is probably more of a psychology concern than a philosophical one. See death anxiety and Terror management theory. Those two links alone will give you a really great starting point on the topic; the articles provide examples of both psychologists and philosophers who write on the topic. – stoicfury Jul 14 '12 at 18:40

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