Comparing Saint Augustine and Charles Taylor's Ideas of Authenticity
The notion of authenticity is one of self-fulfillment and Charles Taylor recognizes that there are dangers in accepting modernity’s drive toward self-realization. However, he is not willing to give up on this idea of “authenticity.” In The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor lays out a system of thought and morals that connect our search for self-realization with our desire towards self-creation. He is attempting to keep a form of individualism while still operating under objectivism. He will point out the good and damaging aspects of the modern development of an authentic self and mention the importance of some moral measurement system.
Taylor claims that St. Augustine initiated a concept of inwardness, a turning towards the inner self to find truth and the idea of authenticity is simply a further development of Augustine’s inwardness. In this paper I will discuss in detail Taylor’s idea of authenticity: the pros and cons. I will lay out some of his arguments as to why he thinks this idea originated with Augustine. I will talk about Augustine’s view on the inner man and how this is connected with knowledge and memory. I will then talk about some of Augustine’s views. Freedom is also an important aspect to moral conduct so I will explore both Taylor’s and Augustine’s view of freedom. Finally, I will argue that the ideal of authenticity (although it contains some truth) is not an ideal that Augustine would promote.
Three Modern Worries
Taylor begins the book by discussing three worries of modern society. The first is individualism which is selfish and self-centered. The modern concept is bothersome because people see freedom as loosening the chains of traditional notions of hierarchy. We have become a society where we are breaking away from “older moral horizons.” Everything in creation is connected in some way and when there is a loose hierarchy there follows a loose meaning of life. The “dark side of individualism” the focuses on the self in such a way that it flattens and narrows the framework which give significance and meaning to human life.
The second trouble is the dominant attention given to instrumental reason. Instrumental reason values efficiency above all other goods. Nothing else is considered sacred or has intrinsic value, only extrinsic value. The question is how usef...
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...y for us humans. I think it is, but only to the extent that we open ourselves to God, which means in fact, overstepping the limits set in theory by exclusive humanisms.
Taylor’s idea of authenticity does give way to many warnings. It is analogous to walking a tight rope. If one leans too much to one side (which in all reality may not be much at all) it can lead to disaster. He adopts a lot from the Romantics and the focus is too much on the individual. Although he does try to get away from too much emphasis on the individual by mentioning the “horizons of significance” he still does not give us an idea of what this hierarchy consists. People may look inside themselves to formulate this hierarchy but this again can lead to subjectivism. It seems to suggest that there could be a variety of heirachies and who is to say that one is better than the other. Also the ambiguity of his idea of freedom only leads to more ambiguity on his idea of authenticity. These are all problems that Taylor must address if one is to get a clearer concept of his project. If Saint Augustine were to read Taylor I think he would find these worries and suggest that Taylor’s central focus should be on God.
“Religion Gives Meaning to Life” outlines how life is given meaning through theistic religion in Louis Pojman’s opinion. In this short reading, autonomy is described as in the meaning of freedom or self-governing and argues how it is necessary for ideal existence. By being honest and faithful with ourselves shows how we can increase our autonomy. “I think most of us would be willing to give up a few autonotoms for an enormous increase in happiness” (553) shows our willingness to practice good purpose.
middle of paper ... ... de. Those who face their weaknesses and accept themselves are successful in the manner that they obtain complete control of their lives instead of letting society influence their decisions. Rebelliousness of this force results in complications and dissatisfaction of those who uphold its values. A choice must be made whether to walk in that straight line of society or branch out to the new world.
When reading ancient texts, they are often told through an omniscient point of view, such as The Odyssey or Gilgamesh, or they are written through another person’s perspective, such as The Republic. Confessions differs in that it is told from a first-person point of view, which makes it uniquely fascinating because we get to learn firsthand how Augustine’s actions, thoughts, and beliefs affected him. In comparison with the other, often mythical, texts, Augustine is a humanized perspective into the world—neither divine nor idolized; his story resembles that of many others as a man who grew to seek both conviction and resolution in his choices. The Confessions of Saint Augustine is, at its core, the journey of an everyman through his life—a concept not far removed from contemporary media. It is the culmination of his trials, tribulations, and efforts as a young man whose development influenced by the immense possibilities of the spiritual world that surrounded him.
In The Ethics of Authenticity Charles Taylor makes a radical claim that we only become capable of understanding ourselves and defining our identity through dialogue. He says humans are fundamentally dialogical creatures (29) and cannot develop into individuals without interaction with others. Through dialogue we are able to exchange our ideas with others and construct our values and beliefs from bits and pieces we hear. This is how we become authentic humans. Authenticity is being true to yourself. It almost seems paradoxal; to discover your individuality you must converse with others. Charles Taylor also believes that some lives are better than others, based on how authentically a life is lived. In modern society, where soft relativism prevails, this view is often seen as unacceptable. Current thought seems to be that lives are all equal; in fact the choices we face have neither a right nor a wrong answer. Charles Taylor believes this causes people to become self absorbed, and can bring about a loss of meaning in their lives.
Dean MacCannell explores the concept of “authenticity,” a quality of genuineness that many people spend time searching for. Throughout the chapter “Staged Authenticity” of The Tourist, there are points that explore this common desire for wholesome experience in new places. In the societal structure of today, however, it is becoming more and more difficult to find authenticity, as we get further and further “mystified” looking for a true and sincere reality. MacCannell makes statements regarding how difficult it is to find realness in the modern world, but never makes a claim that clearly defines authenticity. Instead, MacCannell’s use of paradoxical phrases, visual examples that are relevant to readers, and self-contradiction around the ideas of mystification and reality strengthen his point that there is no concrete definition of authenticity.
Charles Taylor’s support of preserving cultures lies in the idea of a dialogical being. Taylor believes all humans to be dialogical which states that our identity is shaped by interactions with others. The dialogical self is constituted by it’s language, practices, and culture. Taylor then argues that misrecognition from those we interact with partly develops our identity and can inflict harm and oppression.
It therefore appears evident that God must be the root of all evil, as He created all things. However, Augustine delves deeper in search for a true answer. This paper will follow ...
In the unit “The Spirit of Individualism” there are two parts, “Celebrations of the self” and “The Dark side of Individualism” with pieces that present very different perspectives on human nature. “The Dark side of Individualism” portrays human nature as greedy, confused, easily caught up in fame, and addicted to wealth and possessions. In “Celebrations of the Self”, human nature is viewed in a more positive light. The characteristics shown are self reliance, independence, wisdom and selflessness. “The Dark side of Individualism” pieces are written in a more macabre tone, whereas “Celebrations of the Self” pieces have a more positive and uplifting tone to them. The generalizations of human nature are different because of the pieces in “The Dark side of Individualism” and “Celebrations of the Self” have entirely different views on life and human nature.
The notion of individualism is extremely important in exercising the duty people have to cease from the...
In the history of ethics there are three principal standards of conduct, each of which has been proposed as the highest good: happiness or pleasure; du...
Later, after much study and introspection, Augustine discovers that he has been mistaken in attributing a physical form to God. Yet, he still presses on to reconcile his mind to the true precepts of Christian ideology. But what does he...
“We are left alone, without excuse. This is what I mean when I say that man is condemned to be free” (Sartre 32). Radical freedom and responsibility is the central notion of Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophy. However, Sartre himself raises objections about his philosophy, but he overcomes these obvious objections. In this paper I will argue that man creates their own essence through their choices and that our values and choices are important because they allow man to be free and create their own existence. I will first do this by explaining Jean-Paul Sartre’s quote, then by thoroughly stating Sartre’s theory, and then by opposing objections raised against Sartre’s theory.
In his work, Who is Man, Abraham J. Heschel embarks on a philosophical and theological inquiry into the nature and role of man. Through analysis of the meaning of being human, Heschel determines eight essential traits of man. Heschel believes that the eight qualities of preciousness, uniqueness, nonfinality, process and events, solitude and solidarity, reciprocity, and sanctity constitute the image of man that defines a human being. Yet Heschel’s eight qualities do not reflect the essential human quality of the realization of mortality. The modes of uniqueness and opportunity, with the additional singular human quality of the realization of mortality, are the most constitutive of human life as uniqueness reflects the fundamental nature of humanity,
The definition of authenticity is to know oneself, accept it and be true to it. One major display of authenticity is the character of Inez and how she acts. The way she holds herself is very true to existentialism and that is due to her authenticity. She knows the kind of person that she used to be and even said it herself,” I was what some people down there called ‘a damned bitch.’ Damned already. So it’s no surprise, being here.”(p. 25). With this response, Sartre shows that Inez acknowledges her mistakes and flaws, she truly knows herself. This is a very free way of thought. It has much leeway into what a person could decide to do with their life or not and Inez decided to do whatever she set her mind to. She accepts what she has done; she even says “You know, I don’t regret a thing” (p. 25) and even embraces it, as her actions were practically a part of who she was as a whole. She does not care how she comes off to others, even if she is “rather cruel” (p. 26), she does what she wants and is how she wants to be. Another factor of authenticity shown is the rejection of stereotypes. For example, human feeling and going along with social norms pertaining to the consoling of those that are sad are what would be expected of a person in normal society but Inez goes on to say “Human feeling. That is beyond my range. I’...
W. Andrew Hoffecker. Building a Christian World View, vol. 1: God, man, and Knowledge. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey : 1986. William S. Babcock. The Ethics of St. Augustine: JRE Studies in Religion, no. 3.