The problem of alienation is one of the, if not the most, important of philosophical questions. Rather than simply an element of cultural philosophy, the question has broad implications that have connotations for ethics, metaphysics and epistemology itself; the question of the nature of the self and it 's relation to others ought to be considered the first philosophical problem. The question has several implications that shape the rest of the philosophical discourse; the relation between subject and object, between the self and others and universality versus historicity. The common agreement is that social relations have at least somewhat contributed or extenuated this sense of despair; the question is to what extent this reflects a universality.
…show more content…
This self is necessary and exists as a starting point. While the individual must necessarily relate to others, they are still capable of expressing themselves as themselves; the problem is that this process can be rather difficult. Through inwardness and withdrawal, the self is capable of acting authentically; the problem is when society encourages "role-playing".4 However, we do not actually exist "for" these roles; we exist for the sake of ourselves.5 The authentic individual making these decisions ought to be free from manipulation and social, cultural and political pressures.6 This notion is contrasted with inauthenticity; the individual does not act responsibly for their own self-identity and gives into these pressures. When someone is inauthentic they are alienated from their true way of being. While the authentic self does have to relate to others, it is still capable of expressing itself in an unmediated …show more content…
This inwardness, which is characterized with authenticity is no less accidental than externalities; dialectically this inwardness must be negated. 7 The wholeness of the self uncritically presupposes an arbitrary superiority of the subject to the object. This constitutes a form of "objectivism", which fails to relate the subject to the objective historically situated knowledge.8 Self-reflection is eliminated in this model; the ego is posited as greater than the world and the empirical content of subjectivity is entirely denied.9 In actuality, there are two interlocking parts of the self: the subject 's definition as something existent and the subject as a constituent of reality.10 The authentic self problematically ignores dialectical
This self is necessary and exists as a starting point. While the individual must necessarily relate to others, they are still capable of expressing themselves as themselves; the problem is that this process can be rather difficult. Through inwardness and withdrawal, the self is capable of acting authentically; the problem is when society encourages "role-playing".4 However, we do not actually exist "for" these roles; we exist for the sake of ourselves.5 The authentic individual making these decisions ought to be free from manipulation and social, cultural and political pressures.6 This notion is contrasted with inauthenticity; the individual does not act responsibly for their own self-identity and gives into these pressures. When someone is inauthentic they are alienated from their true way of being. While the authentic self does have to relate to others, it is still capable of expressing itself in an unmediated …show more content…
This inwardness, which is characterized with authenticity is no less accidental than externalities; dialectically this inwardness must be negated. 7 The wholeness of the self uncritically presupposes an arbitrary superiority of the subject to the object. This constitutes a form of "objectivism", which fails to relate the subject to the objective historically situated knowledge.8 Self-reflection is eliminated in this model; the ego is posited as greater than the world and the empirical content of subjectivity is entirely denied.9 In actuality, there are two interlocking parts of the self: the subject 's definition as something existent and the subject as a constituent of reality.10 The authentic self problematically ignores dialectical