Authenticity (philosophy)

• 1. Existential Foundations

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  In 1850, Søren Kierkegaard published Practice in Christianity to challenge the passive acceptance of religious faith. He argued that personal authenticity depends on finding an authentic faith and being true to oneself against bourgeois society. A mass-culture society diminishes individuality through social leveling by news media that provide beliefs constructed by others. The philosopher Walter Kaufmann later assembled a canon including Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre to define existentialism for English speakers. These thinkers believed the conscious Self must come to terms with existence in an absurd world featuring external forces like thrown-ness. They investigated how social constructs compose the norms of society to understand ontological significance.

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• 2. Psychological Frameworks

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  Erich Fromm proposed a definition of authenticity in the mid-twentieth century that differed from earlier existentialists. He considered behavior authentic if it resulted from personal understanding and approval of its drives rather than conformity with received wisdom. A Frommean authentic may behave consistently with cultural norms if those norms appear appropriate upon consideration. This approach views authenticity as a positive outcome of enlightened motivation instead of rejecting expectations of others. Psychology identifies a person living life in accordance with their true self and values rather than according to external demands of society. Such demands include social conventions, kinship, and duty which often conflict with internal desires.

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• 3. Sartrean Freedom And Bad Faith

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  Jean-Paul Sartre described inauthentic existence through novels featuring anti-heroic characters who base actions on external psychological pressures. These people ignore crucial facts about their own lives to avoid learning they have an identity defined from outside the self. Absolute freedom is the vertiginous experience necessary for being authentic yet can be so unpleasant as to impel people to choose an inauthentic life. The novelist explains philosophy through characters who do not understand their reasoning for acting as they do. Sartre identified what constitutes an inauthentic existence without defining what is an authentic mode of living. One possibility is describing the negative space surrounding the condition of being inauthentic by giving examples.

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• 4. The Authenticity Paradox

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  Users experience constant tension between projecting personal values and meeting social expectations to share popular values on social media platforms. Popular values are predominantly commercial and users engage in social media rituals like taking countless photos and carefully curating images of commercial experiences. This process turns genuine personal experiences into a form of advertisement leading to focus on projecting an image perceived as authentic rather than truly expressing values. Ultimately the authenticity paradox highlights loss of self in a mediated world driven by commercial needs. Individuals fixate on their image risking loss of genuine identities because behavior is often driven by need to advertise brands and gain recognition.

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• 5. Musical Subcultures And Poseurs

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  Some genres of rock music especially subcultures of punk and heavy metal require great artistic authenticity from musicians and fans. They criticize and exclude bands assessed as poseurs insufficiently authentic or inauthentic as artists. A poseur copies dress style of speech and manners yet is excluded for not understanding the value system of the subculture. The authenticity of an artist has three bases including long-term dedication historical knowledge and personal integrity for correct choices. Black metal adherents value above all else artistic authenticity emotional sincerity and extremity of expression. Working-class bands accepting formal recording contracts might appear sell outs within these communities according to academic Deena Weinstein.

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• 6. Critical Philosophical Objections

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  Philosopher Jacob Golomb argues that existential authenticity is incompatible with moral systems comprehending all persons. Slavoj Žižek sees an irreducible gap between overcoming false Self and assuming ethical stance regarding political engagement. He claims neutrality and pursuit of inner peace involved in extreme version of authenticity pose obstacle to full social responsibility. Žižek denies deep affinity between Buddhist approach and Heidegger by pointing to concept of appropriating Event historicising Being in writings from late 1930s. He regards Heidegger's Nazi political commitment as right step in wrong direction even if revolution was pseudo-Event. This critique insists on value of theoretical insight siding with Jacques Lacan against dismissing subject with Cartesian legacy.

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