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    Back to Life Examined

    Life Examined

    What does it mean to be yourself

    In the Shakespearean play “Hamlet,” Polonius said, 'To thine own self be true.' But what is the self, and what does it mean to be true to it?

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    By Jonathan Bastian • Apr 24, 2021 • 26m Listen

    In the Shakespearean play “Hamlet,” Polonius said, 'To thine own self be true.' But what is the self, and what does it mean to be true to it? With increasing individualism in society, authenticity is en vogue, and honesty and non-conformity are admired and sought after. But do we do the right thing because we judge it to be so, or because others praise our deeds? Are morality and compassion compatible with being authentic? KCRW’s Jonathan Bastian talks with Denis McManus, professor of philosophy at the University of Southampton and author of "Heidegger, Authenticity and the Self"

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    What does it mean to be authentic?
    1. 0:00What does it mean to be yourselfYou’re reading this
    2. 26:27Learning to listen to our inner voices, and why imposter syndrome disproportionately impacts minorities
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Jonathan Bastian

      Host, Life Examined

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      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Denis McManus

      Professor of Philosophy, University of Southampton; author of “The Enchantment of Words: Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus”

      CultureHealth & Wellness

    The full episode

    1 of 2
    What does it mean to be authentic?
    1. 0:00What does it mean to be yourselfYou’re reading this
    2. 26:27Learning to listen to our inner voices, and why imposter syndrome disproportionately impacts minorities
    Back to Life Examined