Hey all!
Our next meeting is Wednesday, Jan 31, at 4:30PM in Old Main 201. We will be having a structured discussion about authenticity. We’ll ask the question: should we strive to be authentic?
Attached are two readings. One is part of Ethics of Authenticity from the philosopher Charles Taylor, which is meant to help us understand why authenticity is generally valued in contemporary culture. You only need to read sections II and III. The other is Jean Paul Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism, a philosopher who prized authenticity.Both are about 14 pages long– if you only have time for one, read Sartre’s. Here are some questions I think it would be good to keep in mind as you read before we discuss.
- What is authenticity?
- Do you or your friends care about “being authentic” “expressing yourself,” or “being true to yourself”? If so, what sort of activities fall under these terms for you?
- Do you think the culture of authenticity animates student life at USU today as much as Taylor thought it did in the 80s?
- How are freedom and authenticity related in Sartre?
- Should we strive to be authentic?
- Does valuing authenticity lead to subjectivism, narcissism, or relativism?
- Might it ever be good to be inauthentic or artificial?
- Is an ethic of authenticity necessarily atheistic?
- What do Taylor and Sartre think about their critics?
Jack Leonard
USUPhilosophy 