Authenticité

Authenticité refers to the quality of being genuine or true to an origin, self, or facts. It encompasses both fidelity to a source or tradition (authentic objects, practices, or experiences) and fidelity to one's own convictions and identity (authentic living).

Originating from the Greek authentikos, through Latin and Old French forms, the term has long circulated in philosophy and culture. In Western thought, authenticity gained prominence in 19th- and 20th-century existentialism, where it denotes living in accordance with one's true self rather than social masks or external pressures.

In philosophy, authenticity contrasts with inauthenticity or bad faith. Thinkers such as Kierkegaard and Sartre emphasize self-formulation and responsibility; Heidegger defines authenticity as a mode of being that acknowledges mortality and the finitude of existence. The notion has been elaborated across phenomenology, hermeneutics, and ethics.

In contemporary discourse, authenticity also appears in art, commerce, and identity politics. Consumers seek authentic experiences and products, while critics question whether authenticity can be manufactured or performatively declared. The concept thus traffics between claims of genuineness and constructions of meaning in modern culture.