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

<p>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.</p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p>Website: <a href="https://skyecleary.com/">skyecleary.com</a></p><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Skye_Cleary">@Skye_Cleary</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>Topics</strong></p><p>01:54 French existentialist philosophy</p><p>04:05 “One is not born, but rather becomes, woman”</p><p>09:58 Creating our essence</p><p>12:46 Transcending our impulses</p><p>18:01 Creative rebellion</p><p>22:19 Skye’s Critique of Simone de Beauvoir</p><p>24:03 Authenticity is responsible freedom</p><p>27:33 Power and freedom</p><p>32:00 Skye’s background in philosophy</p><p>33:15 Intersubjectivity: the foundation of ethical relations</p><p>34:48 Inauthenticity, social media, narcissism</p><p>38:37 Windows of freedom, genetics, motherhood</p><p>41:38 Fulfillment is embracing life </p>