The Struggle Between Inauthenticity and Authenticity

The Struggle Between Inauthenticity and Authenticity - 02 | Heidegger + Jung

The Philosophical Foundations of Paleophenomenology series

Building on the first entry in this series [HERE], I am looking to dive deeper into the philosophical foundations that shape paleophenomenology, this time through the lens of Martin Heidegger’s existential phenomenology and Carl Jung’s analytical insights. During the first year of my BA in Fine Art at York St John University I was introduced to Heidegger and some of his seminal works. During that year, I learned to appreciate even the complexity and depth of the language used. In this instalment, I’ll explore the tension between inauthenticity and authenticity, concepts that lie at the heart of our existence, both as individuals and as a collective species. Heidegger's writings, particularly Being and Time, offer a profound exploration of how we relate to our own being and the world around us. He provides a framework to understand how living authentically — as in being true to one's deeper self — provides freedom from the often-stifling demands of society. Through this, I will also look at Jung’s insights, particularly how creativity and the act of creating leave a mark that leads us toward an authentic engagement with the world. Particularly relevant to my work in paleophenomenology and my research on Neanderthals’ early drawings is the Heideggerian concept of the Preservers, which I hope you will find intriguing. 

[A short but exhaustive bibliography can be found at the end of this post].

Heidegger's Existential Phenomenology: Authenticity vs. Inauthenticity

Heidegger’s seminal work, Being and Time, outlines a key existential struggle: the battle between inauthenticity and authenticity. In Heidegger’s view, inauthenticity arises when individuals live according to the expectations and norms of others, losing sight of their own deeper purpose. It’s the condition of being a "cog in the machine" moving through life following prescribed roles without questioning and hence understanding one’s true self or potential. The opposite of this is authenticity — living by one's true being, acknowledging one's own individuality and essence. For Heidegger, authenticity is not a result of something Dasein does, but something intrinsic to Dasein itself as a mode of its state of being.

Inauthenticity can feel like being stuck, trapped in the cycles of societal norms, obligations, and expectations. Heidegger sees this as a pervasive condition of modern existence. Unfortunately, we are often consumed by the demands and expectations of society, work, and superficial social roles, disconnecting us from the richness of our own being. This is where the challenge lies for modern humans — how do we break free from this “pyramid of cogs” mentality and return to an authentic relationship with the world?

Creativity and the Search for Authenticity

I believe that for ancient humans, the pathway to awareness and authenticity has been through engaging with materials in order to leave a mark: in a way, to create art. When I look at “my” Neanderthals in caves, leaving marks — I can see this as their way of stepping into a revelatory authentic relationship with the world, capturing and externalising their inner experiences in a tangible form. This act of creation could have been a way to affirm their existence, to make the invisible visible, and to connect with what they perceived as maybe sacred but definitely unknown and mysterious forces of the world around them; and the ones within them, with a new awareness of some subconscious processes [such as dreaming and thinking]. The simple, profound act of leaving a mark, of engaging with the natural world creatively, was an act of being.

Jung, whom I am using as my main lens for my current research, would align with this notion. He often spoke of creativity as a means of connecting with the unconscious mind and manifesting deeper truths. For Jung, creating a work of art — whether it was a painting, a poem, or even a cave drawing — was a way of bringing the unconscious into the conscious realm. It was a bridge between the personal and the collective, a way of understanding and giving form to our inner experiences.

Inauthenticity in the Modern World

Fast forward to today, and the struggle for authenticity remains. Modern society, with its ever-increasing pressures, can create conditions in which we, too, feel trapped in repetitive roles, driven by external expectations. Many of us experience the tension between living an authentic life and succumbing to societal pressures [one of the various ways in which we experience the tension of the opposites]. In the digital age, this tension is heightened by the constant influx of external validation — from likes on social media to the pressure to conform to cultural norms [even the pressure to rebel against said norms!].

But just as the act of leaving marks allowed Neanderthals to create a new relationship with the world, creativity offers us a path to reclaim authenticity. Whether we create something physical, like art, or virtual, like this blog entry, or we engage in gardening, sewing or cooking, the process itself is an act of self-expression. It is a way of pushing back against the constraints that threaten to turn us into passive observers. It is a way of creating meaning in a world that often seems devoid of it. It is following The Artist Way [as per Julia Cameron’s book]. 

Heidegger’s concept of the preservers offers an important perspective on the relationship between authenticity, art, and truth [as ἀλήθεια the state of not being hidden, of being evident and revealed; in opposition to the concept of doxa, or opinion]. In his essay The Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger describes how the work of art, in its truest form, opens up a space for truth to be revealed, setting up a world where people can truly see and experience existence in its raw, unmediated form. The totality of experience. The preservers are those who safeguard this truth, ensuring that the Work continues to reveal its Essence and does not slip into inauthenticity. When we are standing in front of an artwork such as one of Rothko large paintings, we have the opportunity to look at the shapes, forms, and colours; to analyse and compute almost each stroke; to understand the story behind the piece, and learn about the artist and his loneliness, his process and contextualisation. Or we could simply stay and allow the Work to speak to us, to reveal to us a Truth that goes beyond words. To allow the piece to tap into our own cosmic loneliness, should we be brave enough.

In this way, the preservers are not passive observers, but active participants in the unfolding of truth. They engage with the work of art in such a way that they allow it to continue to disclose the world in new and meaningful ways. Through this process, the work of art remains alive and relevant as the day it was created, continuing to offer insights to those who encounter it, much like a timeless reflection of human existence. The preservers are then the Guardians of Authenticity — they maintain the integrity of the work, ensuring that it is not diluted by societal norms or cultural expectations.

My question for you now is:

what happens to you, when you stand in front of an artwork?

Are you brave enough?

In modern life, where inauthenticity seems to be pervasive, we often find ourselves trapped in all those “they” — the social forces that dictate what we should do, think, and say; or how many likes we must have in order to feel that our Work [not just the work] is valid… The preservers offer an antidote to this, providing a way to reconnect with the deeper truths of existence. Just as the preservers of art ensure that the truth revealed in a work is passed on and remains accessible, so too can we, through creative acts, preserve our own authenticity. Our embodiment of being the legitimate authority of the Self. Whether through art, philosophy, or other forms of expression, we have the opportunity to preserve the Truth of our own Being and ensure that we are not engulfed by all those other cogs in the machine.

In this way, creativity becomes a form of transmission and preservation — not just of the work of art, but of our own authentic and rightful existence. It allows us to see the world anew, and to live in a way that is true to ourselves, rather than merely conforming to the roles that society has set out for us and/or to the conditioning of family expectations. In doing so, we step into a more authentic relationship with the world, reclaiming the space that was once opened up by an art piece and making it our own.

Should we go back 70 thousand years ago, the concept of the preservers becomes especially relevant in the context of paleophenomenology, where modern humans look back at the ancient works of art — such as the cave paintings left behind by Neanderthals at La Pasiega — and engage with them as a means of reconnecting with deeper truths about existence itself. In this sense, the preservers are not only those very first viewers who looked at those marks and who safeguarded the truth within the work of art for us, but also those of us today who encounter these ancient artworks. By looking at these works, we are, in a sense, preserving their relevance and their message, ensuring that they continue to open up spaces of meaning for us in this ever-repeating present.

In my research, when I lift my eyes from the pages of books, I can’t help but wonder about those first beings who stood in front of those early smudges in red ochre: some not yet aware, others with their very first questionings, maybe looking and tilting their head a bit to the right and then to the left, puzzled; and others just understanding. Understanding everything.

Alchemy, Earth, and World: A Metaphorical Transformation

Jung’s exploration of alchemy provides a fascinating lens through which we can understand the process of inner transformation. For Jung, alchemy is not just about the literal transformation of base metals into gold but is a metaphor for the psychological process of individuation — the unfolding of the true self. This inner transformation, however, occurs through a direct engagement with the physical world. The physical becomes then a vehicle for the spiritual. Alchemy’s symbolic work involves the active engagement and manipulation of materials, substances, and objects — transforming them as a way to transform the soul. More subtly, it’s a meeting in the middle in order to allow for transformation to occur. In the same way, when we engage in acts of creation, such as drawing, painting, or “making” in any other way, we are physically interacting with the material world, but we are also engaging in a deeper, transformative process that reveals something about our inner selves.

Think about gardening. Think about cooking. Think about sex.

Heidegger’s notion of Earth and World can be particularly illuminating when we look at this process. Heidegger distinguishes between Earth and World in his philosophy of art, where Earth represents the material, the physical realm — the unchanging, the raw materials that exist independently of human intervention and the World, on the other hand, refers to the meaning and relationships we bring to those materials — the space we create where understanding and Truth can emerge. That space where things turn into objects. In the act of drawing, for instance, we are engaging with the Earth — the physical material of pencil, graphite, paper, and ink — but as we create, we are also bringing a World into being. Through the act of creating, we reveal and shape new meanings, allowing the truth of the material to emerge and be seen. If you are interested in drawing and alchemy, may I suggest you look at my MRes thesis?

Now, let’s connect this to Jung’s alchemy. In alchemical symbolism, the work with materials — the grinding of substances, the burning of materials, the transformation of one substance into another — mirrors the psychological process of confronting the raw, base materials of the unconscious and transforming them into something more refined, something that reveals the deeper layers of the self. Jung believed that through this physical interaction with material (whether literal or symbolic), we could access and integrate parts of the unconscious that might otherwise remain hidden. The alchemical process of going from the nigredo to the albedo state of matter is basically a mirror of the processes that happen in a therapeutic room. Also artistic creation, in this sense, becomes a kind of alchemical work: the artist interacts with physical materials, and through that engagement, something transcendent emerges.

In the context of ancient works of art, like cave paintings, we can see this dynamic at play. The Neanderthals, in creating their art, were not only working with the physical materials of ochre, wood, stone, and cave walls — they were also engaging in a form of alchemy, transforming raw materials into something that held meaning and truth. Their act of creation was a bridge between Earth and World — a way of engaging with the physical world that opened up a new realm of understanding and consciousness. In paleophenomenology, we can see this as a process of becoming aware of the personal human experience through the tangible act of creation and turning [inner] chaos into knowledge. 

For modern humans, this concept resonates deeply. Are we losing connections in this virtual reality? In a world that often feels fragmented and disconnected, we can reconnect with ourselves through acts of creation. Whether we are drawing, painting, writing, or engaging in any other form of creativity, we are engaging in an alchemical process that connects us to both the physical Earth and the meaningful World. The materials we use may be simple or mundane, but as we engage with them, they reveal new layers of meanings and possibilities, helping us to transcend the inauthenticity of everyday life and move toward a more integrated and authentic existence.

By bringing together Jung’s metaphor of alchemy and Heidegger’s concept of Earth and World, we can see how the act of creation becomes a means of bridging the physical and the metaphysical. The physical manipulation of materials serves as a gateway to deeper insights into the self and the world, allowing us to engage with truth in a way that is both grounded and transformative. For Jung, the body, in alchemical terms, is the realisation of the status of consciousness.

In this way, art becomes more than just a reflection of the world; it becomes a space where World and Earth come together, where raw materials are transformed into something that reveals a deeper truth.

And as I delve deeper into the rock art at La Pasiega, I find myself reflecting on the tension between inauthenticity and authenticity in my own life. Just as those ancient marks reveal something timeless and true about human existence, I, too, seek to leave a mark that reflects my deeper purpose, even beyond the constraints of societal and academic expectations.

Paleophenomenology: A Framework for Authentic Engagement

Paleophenomenology, as a framework, is asking me to step into the role of preserver by viewing ancient art not merely as something historical but as something that remains alive and capable of revealing profound truths about human existence and the tentative early questioning about its provenance. Just as Heidegger's preservers ensure that the work of art remains accessible and capable of disclosing a truth, we modern humans have the opportunity to preserve the insights that ancient works of art provide, integrating them into our own understanding of the world. Through paleophenomenology, we can approach these ancient works with a sense of recognition that, just like the preservers, we have the power to maintain the integrity of the truths they offer. This doesn’t mean blindly believing or abiding by truths which do not belong to us, but recognising the validity [and the need] for deeper inner exploration. 

This process of preservation is not just about safeguarding the artwork itself, but also about recognizing how these ancient acts of creation — the rock art, the carvings, the early marks — are an invitation to see the world through the eyes of the past; through the eyes of people who did not have our knowledge but who were just starting to ask the very first questions about… well, everything! The Neanderthals, through their creativity, opened up a world that still holds significance for us today and which is still fundamentally unknown to us. By engaging with their work in a phenomenological way, we become preservers of a kind, ensuring that the truth they sought to convey does not get lost over time, or among the labelling and rigid structures of fixed approaches. 

In today’s world, we often find ourselves trapped in inauthenticity, caught up in the rush of everyday life and societal pressures. Paleophenomenology offers a way to break free from this, allowing us to engage with the artwork of the past as a means of reconnecting with our inner Seeker archetype. 

My hope is that through this act of preservation — whether it is in the form of visiting and studying cave art or engaging with the ancient expressions of consciousness — people act as guardians of the truth that these works contain, by entering into a space where the past and present converge, revealing truths that are timeless and fundamental to the human experience.

This is where I believe paleophenomenology can become a vital framework. For us modern Homo sapiens, this framework invites us to step back from the distractions of any irrelevant chit-chat and ask: What does it mean to live authentically today? What does it mean to be a Seeker, a student of the Self? How can we use creativity — whether in art, writing, or other forms of expression — to reconnect with our deeper selves? By engaging with the world through a creative act, we can break free from the repetitive cycles of inauthenticity and step into a fuller, more engaged existence.

Heidegger’s and Jung’s ideas are not just theories for me — they are frameworks through which I navigate my own existential questions. Each act of creation, each philosophical exploration, becomes a way of preserving the truths I uncover in my own journey, ensuring they remain alive, not just for myself but for those who might follow. In this sense, I see paleophenomenology not just as an ongoing process of external expression but as a way of aligning my inner and outer worlds.

Conclusion: Creativity as the Path to Authenticity

The journey between Heidegger's and Jung's philosophies reveals that authenticity is not a passive state but a process — one that demands active engagement with both the physical and metaphysical realms. As much as Nietzsche asked us to stand up and walk. Whether through Jung’s lens of alchemical transformation or Heidegger’s concept of preserving truth through art, we see that creativity becomes the bridge that connects our inner selves to the world around us.

As ancient humans left their marks on cave walls, they were engaging in a profound act of truth-revealing, an act of stepping into an authentic relationship with their existence, via a body as a bridge between the visible and the invisible worlds. In the same way, we, as modern humans, can reclaim our authenticity by engaging with the creative process. Whether through art, journaling, movement or even the quiet act of contemplation, we, too, become preservers — not only of ancient truths but of our own.

Paleophenomenology, then, is not merely about understanding the past. It is about applying this understanding to the present and seeing the unfolding of our lives not only through the lens of our parents in the past and our children in the future, but placing our journey in the longer, wider and deeper setting of humanity as a whole by recognising that creativity offers us a means to transcend inauthenticity. By actively engaging with both the material world (Earth) and the realm of meaning (World), we unlock deeper layers of truth, bridging the ancient with the modern and finding our own place within the timeless struggle between inauthenticity and authenticity.

Ultimately, the path to authenticity is one of ongoing transformation. In a world that often feels disconnected, paleophenomenology invites us to reconnect — with the ancient past, with the material world, and with our true selves. Through creativity, we engage not only in a process of self-discovery but in the unfolding of Truth, revealing what it means to be alive on our journey to purpose.

_____

Lately, that bridge between this research and my own inner world has become very clear and stuedy and I have experienced incredible synchronicities which led me to discover and get literally lost in the pages of RW Emerson, D Thoreau, W James and all their freinds. This series was meant to explore M Foucault next, but I think that I will follow the flow and allow ἀλήθεια to lead me, in a very Platonic and synchronistic way, in and out of this "cave". I hope you enjoyes Heidegger... see you next time?

onwards and upwards,

mx

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Braver, L. [2014] Heidegger. Cambridge : Polity Press

Critchley, S. and Schürmann, R. [2008] On Heidegger’s Being and Time. Abingdon : Routledge

Heidegger, M. [2011] Basic Writings. Abingdon : Routledge

Heidegger, M. [2019] Being and Time. Eastford : Martino Fine Books

Kaag, J. [2018] Hiking with Nietzsche. London : Granta Publishing

Parry, J.D. [ed] [2011] Art and Phenomenology. Abingdon : Routledge

Raff, J. [2000] Jung and the Alchemical Imagination. Berwick : Nicholas-Hays

Richardson, J. [2012] Heidegger. Abingdon : Routledge

Schwartz-Salant, N. [1995] Jung on Alchemy. Princeton : Princeton University Press

Thomson, I.D. [2011] Heidegger, Art, and Postmodernity. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press

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