Comparing Saint Augustine and Charles Taylors Ideas of...

Comparing Saint Augustine and Charles Taylors Ideas of Authenticity The notion of authenticity is one of self-fulfillment and Charles Taylor recognizes that there are dangers in accepting modernity’s drive toward self-realization. However, he is not willing to give up on this idea of â€Å"authenticity.† In The Ethics of Authenticity, Taylor lays out a system of thought and morals that connect our search for self-realization with our desire towards self-creation. He is attempting to keep a form of individualism while still operating under objectivism. He will point out the good and damaging aspects of the modern development of an authentic self and mention the importance of some moral measurement system. Taylor claims that St.†¦show more content†¦The fear here is that everything will be decided on a cost-benefit mentality. This leads to absurd practices of â€Å"putting dollar assessments on human lives.† The last worry is a lack of participation in the political realm. Individuals are enclosed in their own comfort zones and have little motivation to leave their homes and the satisfactions of their private lives to get involved. Once participation declines the more the bureaucratic state takes control and leaves the citizens powerless. This can lead to soft-despotism which Alexis de Tocqueville describes as a society where most of its members have given up being actively involved in the ordering of that society only to find out that it is run by a vast guardian-like power that discourages participation and jeopardizes political liberty. Taylor does not want to slip into the acceptance of these three malaises. He claims that all of these issues are controversial. He seems to claim neutrality between modernity knockers and modernity boosters. The knockers are those who believe that instrumental reason and modern individualism inevitably lead to a culture that is preoccupied with the self and self-indulgence and puts moral horizons and political liberty at risk. The boosters are those who accept the consequences of modernity and believe that a rejection of these will result in a culture that hinders the spread ofShow MoreRelatedManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pageshow they have outdistanced their competitors, who have not quite figured out that this is key to a company’s competitive advantage. Examples abound of the power of this kind of business strength: ââ€"  GE was one of the pioneers. It implemented the idea of the boundaryless organization, the practice of delayering, and the policy of one-or-two-or-out market leadership. Each of these changes was part of the early process and measurement and leadership innovation that accelerated General Electric’s competitive