The Authentic Self in Society

Guignon, in describing Harry Frankfurt’s concept of the self, states that “[your identity] is determined by what you identify with: the life defining ideals and projects that make you who you are” (139). If this is the case, then my self is determined by what I stand for (or do not agree with) and by the projects and services I commit to. This service-learning commitment with Marin AIDS Project then may become a life-defining project (if it hasn’t become so already).
Authenticity and enlightenment regarding our identity cannot be achieved solely by retreating into ourselves and away from society, because human beings are social creatures. As Guignon describes Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the dialogical self, “The conclusion to draw from the dialogical nature of experience is that we experience the world through a ‘We’ before we experience it through an ‘I’…The dialogical conception of self has the advantage of making social interactions absolutely fundamental to our identity. It lets us see that being human is inextricably being part of a ‘We’” (121). If humans are inextricably part of a “We,” then it is my duty to humanity to interact with and provide aid to society. I feel I am accomplishing this duty (in however controversial a way) through my work with the Marin AIDS Project. I am working at the needle exchange, a program that offers aid to intravenous drug users. We provide clean needles in exchange for dirty ones, thereby reducing the risk and spread of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C.
Frankfurt claims that a full-blooded person has “freedom of the will,” whereas someone not fully human is termed a wanton. “A wanton is described as an individual who not only gives in to the pull of various cravings and whims that come over him, but furthermore does not care about what sort of will he has” (137). Of the drug users that I have worked with thus far at Marin AIDS Project, I would most likely describe them as wantons. They are all enslaved to an addiction, but do not have a strong enough desire to overcome their situation. However, I cannot ever assume such a general stereotype; there are always exceptional people who have come through the needle exchange but are now free of their drug addiction. After all, one person can never truly know another after any amount of time, so it is impossible to ever truly judge anyone. Rather, we interact with each other primarily to gain self insight and knowledge and to enrich our own journeys through life.