The Challenge of Authenticity
A Philosophical Exploration of Freedom, Anxiety, and the Self
by: Ulysses Ybiernas | August 21, 2020
In a time when identity feels fluid, responsibilities feel imposed, and meaning feels negotiable, existentialism speaks louder than ever. It is not a system of doctrines but a way of confronting the deepest questions of human existence: Who am I? What should I do? Does any of this mean anything?
What Is Existentialism?
Existentialism is not a rigid doctrine but a movement with shared concerns. It is defined more by the questions it asks than the answers it gives. At its core, existentialism is concerned with:
- Individual freedom and responsibility
- Subjectivity and personal experience
- Angst, despair, and the absurd
- Alienation from systems, traditions, and other people
- The search (or loss) of meaning in a seemingly indifferent world
Key figures in existentialism include Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. Despite their differences, these thinkers wrestled with the tension between the freedom of the individual and the apparent meaninglessness of existence.
The Concept of Authenticity
Authenticity in existentialism is not about "being yourself" in a superficial sense. It is a deeply moral and philosophical stance: a way of existing that involves acknowledging one's freedom, accepting responsibility, and living without self-deception.
Authenticity vs. Bad Faith
In Sartrean terms, the opposite of authenticity is bad faith (mauvaise foi), a form of self-deception in which individuals lie to themselves to escape the burden of freedom. A classic example is the waiter who over-identifies with his role, convincing himself he is only a waiter, denying the broader possibilities of his being.
"Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself." - Jean-Paul Sartre
To live authentically is to reject such lies. It is to own up to the fact that we are always choosing, even when we pretend not to be. There is no fixed "essence", no script handed to us by nature or society. We are condemned to be free, and authenticity is what happens when we take that seriously.
Kierkegaard and the Self
For Kierkegaard, authenticity means becoming a true self, self with a relation that relates itself to itself. This means the self is not a substance or a thing, but a relationship between the individual and its own possibilities. It is not just about autonomy, but about confronting the anxiety that comes from the awareness of choice and leaping into a commitment that defines it.
Camus and Rebellion
Even Camus, who rejected the label "existentialist," saw authenticity in the rebel, the one who refuses both false hope and nihilism, choosing instead to live lucidly in the face of absurdity.
Why Authenticity Is Difficult, and Necessary
Authenticity is hard because it requires us to face existential anxiety: the realization that there are no guaranteed answers, no external authority to tell us who we are or what to do. In response, it is tempting to conform, submit, or numb ourselves with distractions.
But existentialism argues that this confrontation with freedom is not just a burden, it is an opportunity. To live authentically is to live deliberately, to become a co-creator of our own meaning, even in the absence of metaphysical certainty.
Conclusion
Existentialism invites us to take ourselves seriously, not as consumers or avatars, but as free beings responsible for our choices. Authenticity is not a feeling; it is a commitment to truth, action, and self-understanding.
The existentialist life is not easy. But it is honest. And perhaps, in a world filled with noise, that honesty is the most radical act of all.