Authenticity

Masahiro Mori introduced a concept in robotics called “the uncanny valley.”  He hypothesized that when something that looks human, like a robot, acts and looks almost like a human being, it actually creates a feeling of revulsion in the human observer.  At a certain point, the artificial replica of humanity is rejected.  To avoid the uncanny valley, something can either be human or look dissimilar enough so that it doesn’t frighten.

I think sometimes real people enter into a type of uncanny valley effect.  When someone pretends to be something they’re not, when someone says they believe something they don’t, or when people generally are not “real” with one another, we experience a milder form of revulsion. There are few people that like a fake.

The people that are the easiest to get along with, or even the people that are the most worthwhile to know, are those that are genuine.  There is something compelling about someone who is real with you.  Someone who acts in a way that is not fake, assumed, or inconstant has an immediate level of respect in my eyes.  But simply choosing to live by a set of conclusions, in and of itself, is not considering how we ought to live to an adequate degree.

Our culture, especially (it seems) here at Willamette, craves authenticity above many other values, even truth itself.  It doesn’t matter if what you believe is true or not.  What matters is whether or not you honestly believe it.  The validity of your belief is secondary to the integrity of your beliefs.

I agree that there is often a problem with being genuine. It is disconcerting when people say they believe one thing and act in a way that disproves their own words.  The hypocrite is a stage actor.  Someone who plays a part, pretending to be something they are not.  It’s hard to get along with someone who is blatantly a fake.  If you aren’t authentic about your self, why should I believe you?

It is certainly an important and worthwhile goal to be authentic, but it must be intrinsically related to the idea of truth.  Yet, to focus unduly on how one holds a belief, rather than the appropriateness and correctness of that belief, will eventually lead to problems.  You can honestly and authentically believe a lie.  It should be a goal to be authentic and authenticity is vital to the communicating of true things throughout your life, but it is not the end in and of itself.

I think a division between authenticity and truth is an unfortunate trend, even if it is not an unprecedented one.  It seems that the majority of culture has been trying to surgically remove truth from all pursuits, except from the realm of the empirical and scientific study.  Without a foundation that claims “this outlook is true,” we are left to be bandied about by the strength of emotions and impulses.  Art, media, relationships, culture, and even how we ought to live are all affected by the unfortunate separation from the underlying idea that there is truth.  Rather than clamoring for authenticity, no matter what, we need to remember that it is important to be authentic and truthful.

I want to demonstrate my authenticity.  I want to show the integrity of my convictions.  I want to avoid hypocrisy and live what I believe.  But, equally and just and fundamentally, I want to believe and act in a way that is true, right, and meaningful.  To live authentically without truth is to honestly deceive yourself.  To pretend to live for the truth without authenticity is to purposefully deceive others.

You have to get both parts right.