Manni Crone: Authenticity and critical linguistic community of Charles Taylor
Are we living in individualistic societies where authenticity and self-realization have become supreme values? Is it all we can dream about to realize ourselves? In this article I examine the modern roots of authenticity and argue with the Canadian communitarian Charles Taylor, that there exist ontological limits to individualism and the cult of the self. Against individualistic liberalists Taylor argues that the modern self unfolds in a preexisting moral community, but against the most conservative communitarians Taylor insists on authenticity and individualism as part of modern life. Modern authentic individuals do not just seek egocentric pleasure, but try to create a good life in dialogue with others. This dialogue unfolds in the ”moral space” of modernity, which is not a homogeneous ”community of values”, but rather an open space in which individualistic values enter into conflict with values such as human rights and respect for the other.
