Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn't Be Yourself

by Simon Feldman

“Be true to yourself”—it is a dictum so ubiquitous that it can seem like both philosophical wisdom and an empty truism. Should we aspire to an ideal of living authentically? What does it mean to be true to yourself? Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn't Be Yourself is a philosophical exploration and critique of the ideal of authenticity. Simon Feldman argues that if being true to ourselves is a matter of maintaining a strong will, being psychologically independent, achieving self-knowledge, or being morally conscientious, then the best lives we can lead should be expected to involve substantial inauthenticity. Feldman suggests that various construals of the ideal of authenticity presuppose metaphysically confused notions of the self (for example, that there is a determinate “true self”) and that under the guise of indisputable wisdom the ideal perpetuates both objectionably relativistic as well as reactionary moral thinking. Feldman concludes that the ideal of authenticity is one that we would be better off abandoning, independent of our other moral or ethical commitments. With implications for every reader's conception of authenticity and identity, Against Authenticity is an exciting challenge for students and scholars of ethics, metaethics, metaphysics, and moral psychology.

230 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[Jean Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the philosophical underpinning of the author's arguments may be deep and rather complicated, his work is so reader friendly and his examples which he comes back to over and over again are so clearly spelled out that this is so readable a book. I can appreciate that he must be a terrific teacher.

[Ayelette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feldman's book is a compelling and provocative look at why we think we value authenticity, what we mean when we offer "be true to yourself" advice, and how we might better serve ourselves and our community by looking at what's underneath those words. Feldman's writing style uniquely combines complex analysis with ease of readability, and his case examples similarly make the cerebral universal. I highly recommend this incredibly sharp and grounded book to anyone curious about what it really means to be true to yourself, as well as to anyone who's ever wondered how philosophy intersects with real life.

[Darren Glazier · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible. The author uses the same strategy that, unfortunately, is becoming way more common in academia. That is, he rambles on incessantly making the same argument chapter after chapter making a 20 page argument into a painful to read 180 page waste of money. His arguments against being authentic are largely based on very extreme scenarios. The book is quite tiresome. I usually give at least a 2-star, but I feel as though I’ve been swindled out of money for a thesis that I thought could be compelling. Just absolute crap.