In society we seem to value authenticity over inauthenticity, whether it be in lifestyle, philosophical treatises or even artefacts which have to be certified of authenticity in order to attribute...Show moreIn society we seem to value authenticity over inauthenticity, whether it be in lifestyle, philosophical treatises or even artefacts which have to be certified of authenticity in order to attribute a certain validity to an object. Somehow it is significant to own a claim on the authorship or origin of something in the world, as a patent, to make our life just that bit more meaningful or outstanding. However, there is no such thing as the ‘content’ of authenticity, no fixed formula at least, as it is a concept that adapts to its context continuously; parallel to cultural changes and needs. This is why authenticity is often perceived as a quest, whether it is attained through commendable endeavours or returned to through thorough introspection; whether it is regarded as a state you arrive at or a moment that shines up. This paper will try to offer a philosophical reflection on this employment of a language of authenticity by focusing on and connecting two movements of philosophical thought, namely the thought of Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976), specifically in Being and Time (1927) and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School by Max Horkheimer (1895 – 1973) and Theodor W. Adorno (1903 – 1969), specifically in Dialectic of Enlightenment (1947). Heidegger explicitly speaks of a notion of authenticity (eigentlichkeit) in his theory on Being. I will argue that, even though the word ‘authenticity’ is not particularly mentioned, a sense of that term is implicitly present in the work of Horkheimer and Adorno. To put it more precisely, I will try to investigate whether a sense of authenticity like that of Heidegger’s is to be found in their work. This means that Heidegger will serve as a point of departure. For such a comparison I believe Horkheimer and Adorno’s insights on ‘Culture Industry’ are most relevant to the issue.Show less
