The illusion of authenticity

The true self is a fiction and authenticity is illusory. Humans should embrace the artificial, striving for virtue and aesthetic excellence.

Written by Bo Winegard.

“The first duty of life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one has yet discovered.”
—Oscar Wilde

Of the many memorable lines in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, few have been quoted as often as Polonius’s advice, “This above all else: to thine own self be true.” Unlike Hamlet’s soul-searing “To be or not to be” soliloquy, these words are commonly cited not because they make for riveting poetry but because they seem wise and commendable. This is even more true today than when Shakespeare wrote them, for we, being descendants of the Romantic revolution, live in an era in which authenticity is esteemed and self-expression celebrated.

That Polonius was a tedious windbag might give pause. Perhaps Shakespeare believed that “to thine own self be true” was exactly the kind of cliche a pompous prattler would pass off as sagacious advice. And thus Shakespeare was not endorsing Polonius’s counsel but mocking it. After all, a Caesar with an insatiable lust for war might be most true to himself while in bloody conquest. But few would praise him for his steadfast commitment to authenticity. Likewise, few would denounce him for straying from his true self if he restrained his bellicose passions and advocated peace and diplomacy.