Latour and Acting
Today in class, we were discussing the difference between one's authentic self and their social roles. There are many different arguments about the separation between these two. Latour says "It is not by accident that this expression, like that of 'person', comes from the stage. Far from indication a pure and unproblematic source of action, they both lead to puzzles as old as the institution of theater itself--as Jean-Paul Sartre famously showed in his portrait of the garcon de cafe who no longer knows the difference between his 'authentic self' and his 'social role'. To use the word 'actor' means that it's never clear who and what is acting when we act since an actor on stage is never alone in acting." Since you are never solitary, because it's in human nature to crave social interaction, you are constantly acting or being on the stage of your life. So essentially, what I am trying to say is that your authentic self and your social roles could consequently be considered the same thing. They help to define each other. Your "self" influences how you act in social situations and your "social roles" influence your self and your decisions. Since the two are playing off each other is such a role, they are becoming so intertwined that they seem like the same entity.