Moral Authenticity in a Turbulent Age: Charles Taylor and the Diary of Etty Hillesum
This paper explores the relation between the moral philosophy of Charles Taylor and the wartime diary of Etty Hillesum. Written in Amsterdam between 1941 and 1942, Hillesum's diary records her effort to construct a meaningful identity in relation to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. That...
| Published in: | Studies in religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2019]
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| In: |
Studies in religion
Year: 2019, Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 650-663 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Hillesum, Etty 1914-1943, Het verstoorde leven
/ Taylor, Charles 1840-1908
/ Authenticity
/ Ideal (motif)
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| RelBib Classification: | NCB Personal ethics NCC Social ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
Authenticity
B Taylor B Moral Philosophy B Hillesum B Self B Identity B God B the Holocaust |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | This paper explores the relation between the moral philosophy of Charles Taylor and the wartime diary of Etty Hillesum. Written in Amsterdam between 1941 and 1942, Hillesum's diary records her effort to construct a meaningful identity in relation to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. That effort, I want to claim, is clarified via an interface with Taylor's notion of "authenticity." Taylor argues that authenticity constitutes a moral ideal that serves to measure the worth and value of the lived life. Such is the fundamental mission of Hillesum. In the final analysis I argue that Taylor's moral philosophy lends structure, form and substance to Hillesum's thought, while Hillesum's journey vivifies the veracity of Taylor's project. Her life situation both embodies and expresses the contemporaneity of Taylor's work and illuminates its existential significance. Thus the importance of authenticity is not just a philosophical hypothesis but an issue with historical flesh and bone. Or so suggests Hillesum's search for authenticity in a turbulent age. Cet article explore la relation entre la philosophie morale de Charles Taylor et le journal de guerre d'Etty Hillesum. Écrit à Amsterdam entre 1941 et 1942, le journal d'Hillesum témoigne des efforts qu'elle déploie pour se construire une identité significative par rapport à l'occupation nazie des Pays-Bas. Cet effort, je tiens à le revendiquer, est clarifié par le biais de la notion d'authenticité de Taylor. Taylor soutient que l'authenticité constitue un idéal moral qui sert à mesurer la valeur et la valeur de la vie vécue et telle est la mission fondamentale d'Hillesum. En dernière analyse, je soutiens que la philosophie morale de Taylor donne une structure, une forme et une substance aux pensées d'Hillesum, tandis que le périple d'Hillesum vivifie la véracité du projet de Taylor. Sa situation personnelle incarne et exprime à la fois la contemporanéité du travail de Taylor et met en lumière sa signification existentielle. Ainsi, l'importance de l'authenticité n'est plus juste une hypothèse philosophique, mais une question historique de chair et d'os. C'est du moins ce que suggère la recherche d'authenticité de Hillesum à une époque tumultueuse. |
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| ISSN: | 2042-0587 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0008429819842784 |