Skye Cleary || Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Authentic Living

Today we welcome philosopher Skye Cleary. She is a lecturer at Columbia University and the City College of New York. Skye is the author of Existentialism and Romantic Love and co-editor of How to Live a Good Life. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Aeon, Business Insider, TED-Ed, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other outlets. In 2021, she was a MacDowell Fellow and In 2017, she won the New Philosopher Writers’ Award. Her latest book is called How to Be Authentic.  In this episode, I talk to Skye Cleary about Simone de Beauvoir’s life and how it has informed her existentialist philosophy. As a feminist during the forties, Simone was passionate about freedom of choice. It's not a surprise then that her definition of authenticity also revolves around self-determination. Authenticity is not about finding a true self, but rather a process of creating who we want to be. We also touch on the topics of gender, power, social justice, narcissism, and fulfillment. Website: skyecleary.com Twitter: @Skye_Cleary   Topics 01:54 French existentialist philosophy 04:05 “One is not born, but rather becomes, woman” 09:58 Creating our essence 12:46 Transcending our impulses 18:01 Creative rebellion 22:19 Skye’s Critique of Simone de Beauvoir 24:03 Authenticity is responsible freedom 27:33 Power and freedom 32:00 Skye’s background in philosophy 33:15 Intersubjectivity: the foundation of ethical relations 34:48 Inauthenticity, social media, narcissism 38:37 Windows of freedom, genetics, motherhood 41:38 Fulfillment is embracing life  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.