Authenticity

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Today, common sense tells us that we should live authentically. Though it seems simple, this idea rests upon a complex and controversial philosophical framework with a dynamic and surprising history. In this course, we ask what authenticity demands and why we should want it. To that end, we will uncover the origins of the concept in ancient virtue ethics and the Enlightenment’s ethics of autonomy. Then, for the majority of the course, we will focus on Romanticism and Existentialism, where today’s concept of authenticity took shape. To close, we will examine contemporary adaptations and criticisms of the concept and assess its fate.