Editing Peter Wessel Zapffe (section)

== Philosophical work ==
Zapffe's view is that humans are born with an overdeveloped consciousness ([[self-reflection]], [[self-knowledge (psychology)|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 [[Human|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:

*[[Emotional isolation|Isolation]] is "a fully arbitrary dismissal from consciousness of all disturbing and destructive thought and feeling".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://philosophynow.org/issues/45/The_Last_Messiah|title=The Last Messiah|last=Zapffe|first=Peter Wessel|date=March–April 2004|website=Philosophy Now|access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
*[[Anchoring effect|Anchoring]] is the "fixation of points within, or construction of walls around, the liquid fray of consciousness".<ref name=":1" /> The anchoring mechanism provides individuals with a value or an ideal to consistently focus their attention on. Zapffe also applied the anchoring principle to society and stated that "God, the Church, the State, [[morality]], fate, the laws of life, the people, the future"<ref name=":1" /> are all examples of collective primary anchoring firmaments.
*[[Distraction]] is when "one limits attention to the critical bounds by constantly enthralling it with impressions".<ref name=":1" /> Distraction focuses all of one's energy on a task or idea to prevent the mind from turning in on itself.
*[[Sublimation (psychology)|Sublimation]] is the refocusing of energy away from negative outlets, toward positive ones. The individuals distance themselves and look at their existence from an aesthetic point of view (e.g., writers, poets, painters). Zapffe himself pointed out that his produced works were the product of sublimation.
On the occasion of the 65th birthday of the Norwegian–Canadian philosopher [[Herman Tønnessen]], the book ''I Choose the Truth. A Dialogue Between Peter Wessel Zapffe and Herman Tønnessen'' (1983) was published. The two had known each other already for many years. Tønnessen had studied at the [[University of Oslo]] together with [[Arne Næss]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Haave |first=Jørgen |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/44854528 |title=Naken under kosmos: Peter Wessel Zapffe, en biografi |publisher=Pax |year=1999 |isbn=82-530-2117-8 |location=Oslo |oclc=44854528}}</ref>