Integrity and Authenticity

What is integrity and authenticity?

Taking the definition from the Inner Development Goals, integrity and authenticity refers to "a commitment and ability to act with sincerity, honesty and integrity".

By providing frameworks for understanding the self, morality, and how to live an authentic life, philosophy helps individuals develop a strong inner compass to guide their actions with sincerity and integrity.

Philosophical perspectives on integrity and authenticity

Through various philosophical traditions, here are some perspectives on what it means to be living with integrity and authenticity:

Ubuntu

The concept of "ubuntu" stresses the interconnectedness of people and holds that a person's true authentic self emerges through relationships and responsibilities to the community. In this sense, integrity involves upholding the values and welfare of one's community.

Existentialism

Existentialism sees authenticity as living in accordance with one's true self and values, even in the face of external pressures. Philosophers like Sartre and Heidegger argued that to be authentic, we must embrace our freedom and responsibility to define our own essence through the choices we make.

Authenticity requires self-awareness, taking ownership of our lives, and having the courage to live according to our own principles rather than simply conforming to societal expectations.

Aristotelian philosophy

Aristotelian and neo-Aristotelian approaches equates authenticity to the ideal of eudaimonia or human flourishing.

Living authentically means exercising our essential capacities as rational, social and emotional beings in a virtuous way. This involves cultivating virtues like courage, compassion, integrity, and practical wisdom.

Confucianism and Daoism

In Confucian philosophy, authenticity is tied to being true to one's social roles and duties. Confucius taught that cultivating personal integrity or cheng (誠) enables one to fulfill their roles as a family member and citizen with utmost sincerity. Being authentic means exemplifying the virtues proper to one's station in life.

In contrast, Daoist thinkers like Laozi and Zhuangzi see authenticity as involving a rejection of rigid social conventions and a return to one's natural spontaneous self (ziran 自然). The authentic person lives simply and spontaneously, in harmony with the Dao, without striving or contrivance. In this sense, integrity means being true to one's inner nature.

Buddhism

Authenticity involves realizing the principle of "non-self" (anatta) which argues that the self is a mental construction without an unchanging essence. Seeing through the illusion of the ego-self allows one to live with greater equanimity, compassion and freedom which allows for one to live authentically.

Integrity in this context, would mean living in accordance to Dharma, which refers to the truth of things that includes the principles of "non-self", impermanence and many others.

Why integrity and authenticity is important?

From a philosophical and ethical standpoint, here are a few reasons why integrity and authenticity are crucial:

Live according to values

Integrity enables us to live according to our deepest values and moral convictions. A person of integrity aligns their actions with their principles, even in the face of external pressures or temptations to compromise.

This requires self-knowledge, moral courage, and the strength of character to resist conforming to unethical norms. Integrity thus empowers us to stand up for what we believe is right.

Builds healthy relationships

Integrity and authenticity enable trust as well as accountability, which are crucial for healthy relationships.

We can rely on people of integrity to keep their word and do the right thing. Also, people who are truly authentic tend to be transparent about who they really are, allowing for genuine connection. In contrast, deception and hypocrisy can erode trust and relationships in the long term.

Autonomous, rational agency

To make free choices that are truly our own, we must know our values and identities, and have the integrity to act on them consistently.

Blindly conforming to external expectations (e.g. what family members expect of us that may not align with our values and aspirations) undermines our autonomy.

Promoting ethical cultures

At a societal level, widespread integrity and authenticity support an ethical culture. When more people strive to live with honesty and adhere to moral principles, it creates positive social pressure for ethical conduct.

Institutions and leaders with integrity are more likely to be just and serve the greater good.

How philosophy can enable one to live with integrity and authenticity?

Doing philosophy (reflection in particular) enables integrity and authenticity by:

1. Promoting self-awareness and understanding of one's core values, beliefs and identity. Knowing oneself is a prerequisite for being true to oneself.

2. Providing ethical frameworks for developing personal convictions about right and wrong, good and bad. Sound moral reasoning and judgment are essential for acting with integrity.

3. Encouraging critical thinking and questioning of social conventions, authority and inherited belief systems. Critical reasoning challenges us to think for ourselves.

4. Offering guidance on how to live an authentic, meaningful and ethical life in the face of challenges, and how to maintain integrity under pressure.