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Books Related to On Being Authentic Charles Guignon - ISBN: 0415261236
Close analysis of the idea of authenticity - Rated
The first thing to be said about this book is how accessible it is. It can be read with profit by scholars and interested readers. Although it deals with a 'deep' subject-the relationship of self to self and self to the world it does so in an unpretentious and entertaining way.. Guignon commences with a discussion of the current fashion for authenticity manifested by Oprah Winfrey and others. From this he delves into history to account for the view that authenticity is discovered by inward analysis. Religious introspection in the post reformation, the rise of Science and the rejection of social constraints as something false (eg in the works of Rousseau)are all given consideration. He also tackles Freud and Jung. However he then looks at the critique of inward analysis which claims there can be a discovered real self through introspection. This takes him into the space of those labelled post modern writers -Foucault, and Gergen and Rorty and thereby the idea that we have any fixed identity.However he ends up rejecting the extremes of both positions and advocates an embdding of the self in practices and communities on the basis of choice through experience thereby reonciling (albeit imperfectly)the authentic self constituted by individual agency and a self entirely detrmined by social construction. His guides towards this conclusion are to some degree Heidegger and particularly Gadamer. Remarkably he does this in limited space -it is quite a short book- and provides many aspects to think about. My only fundamental critque is his reading of Wordswoth who he identifies as part of the Romantic turn towards inwardness. This is I believe a partial reading of the poet who in many works ably demonstrates the advantage of learning through dialogue with others and the importance of community. Overall though a small criticism of an impressive work
great book! - Rated
I really enjoyed this book. The layout reminded me of the sumpremely digestable 'Very Short Introduction to...' series published by OUP. Guignon leads us through the history of the idea of authenticity in a manner that is smooth-flowing and entertaining whilst not loosing any of the complexity of the materials he is dealing with. Guignon makes no assumptions as regards the reader of his text; i don't believe prior knowledge of the subject or debates is a necessitity. Guignon writes with an apparent ease and never seems to get himself (and thus the reader) tied into knots. Ever have that strange feeling of not sitting right in the world? Check out this book. (It's perhaps worth mentioning that the authenticity Guignon discusses here is based on the self rather than how I have come accross it more often recently, that is 'authenticity in pop music' for example.)
