The quest for authenticity

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, News, Politics, News Commentary, Philosophy

4.6 • 10.8K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2022

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean Illing talks with Skye Cleary, philosopher and author of the new book How to Be Authentic. The book is an examination of how to live an authentic life through the lens of the life and thought of the great French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986). Sean and Skye discuss what authenticity really means — and how it's often a misused term today, why we should resist performing roles predetermined for us by society, and how to have a truly intimate relationship without surrendering yourself — or your freedom. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox Guest: Skye Cleary (@Skye_Cleary), author, philosopher References: How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment by Skye Cleary (St. Martin's; 2022) "Existentialism Is a Humanism" by Jean-Paul Sartre (1946) The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949; tr. 2011 by Constance Borde & Sheila Malovany-Chevallier) Aristophanes's speech in Plato's Symposium, 189c–193e The Useless Mouths, play by Simone de Beauvoir (1945) Inseparable by Simone de Beauvoir (tr. Sandra Smith; published for the first time by Ecco; 2021) "Before She Loved Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir loved Zaza" by Leslie Camhi (New York Times; Aug. 27, 2021) After The Second Sex: Conversations with Simone de Beauvoir by Alice Schwarzer (Pantheon; 1984) Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir (1958) Pyrrhus et Cinéas by Simone de Beauvoir (1944) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by: Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Patrick Boyd Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for today's show comes from Slack.
0:04.6	A digital HQ in Slack brings your teams, partners and tools together in one space.
0:10.3	Slack helps companies stay flexible, accelerate projects and keep teams aligned.
0:15.4	So work just works.
0:17.4	How exactly?
0:19.2	Organised projects in channels work across time zones with huddles and clips and even streamline
0:24.5	partnerships with Slack Connect.
0:26.7	However you work, Slack is the flexible digital HQ for organised and efficient teams, no matter
0:32.9	where they're logging in from.
0:34.6	Get started at slack.com slash DHQ.
0:38.3	Slack, where the future works.
0:45.3	How do we live an authentic life?
0:51.7	I'm Sean Elling and I'm your host for Box Conversations.
1:04.8	I ask myself a version of this question all the time.
1:08.4	Like everyone else, I want to be as authentic as I can be.
1:13.2	The problem is that authenticity is a big, fuzzy word and the sort of thing you hear in
1:20.0	self-helpy TED talks about how to be your true self.
1:25.7	To be ourselves, to confidently be ourselves and to dream the dreams that come with that.
1:30.7	Be your most authentic self.
1:32.4	Always follow my inner instincts and be myself.
1:38.2	I don't find that stuff very useful.
1:40.9	I never have.
	...

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