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authenticity

The radical escape from bad faith by reclaiming one's freedom and responsibility, living in accordance with one's true self.

1 chapter across 1 book

Being and Nothingness (1943)Jean-Paul Sartre

Chapter 2: Bad Faith

In Chapter 2: Bad Faith, Sartre explores the concept of self-deception or 'bad faith,' where individuals deny their own freedom and responsibility by adopting false identities or excuses. He analyzes how people evade the anguish of freedom by 'thingifying' themselves or others, thus avoiding the authentic confrontation with their own being-for-itself. The chapter also discusses the social and psychological mechanisms underpinning bad faith, referencing phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and existentialist philosophy.