New Research from Dr. Samuel Mortimer Highlights a “Social Conception of the Self” and Its Practical Implications

In the article, entitled “Becoming Authentic: A Social Conception of the Self,” Dr. Mortimer builds on the “Self-as-We” framework pioneered by Professor Yasuo Deguchi to propose that authentic values and decisions emerge within social relationships, rather than primarily through inward-looking reflection. By explaining why authenticity depends crucially on social relationships, the paper has implications for business leadership, public policy, and AI governance.

Authenticity as a Philosophical Puzzle

Discussions of authenticity often revolve around two core ideas:

1. Authentic Self – The question of whether a person’s values and commitments genuinely belong to them, rather than merely reflecting outside pressures.
2. Authentic Agency – The question of whether a person’s decisions or actions truly express their considered values.

These notions, Dr. Mortimer argues, are interdependent: we need an authentic self to make authentic decisions, but we also develop an authentic self through the decisions we make. He shows that this leads to a paradox, unless we question the overly individualistic conception of the self that underlies much philosophical thought.

Drawing on Deguchi’s insight that the self can best be described as a “We,” not simply an “I,” Dr. Mortimer illustrates how recognizing the self’s inherently social nature allows us to transcend the paradox. In Dr. Mortimer’s account, authenticity emerges most fully when individuals ground their decisions and behavior in trusting relationships. These interpersonal connections enlarge, rather than constrain, our capacity to discover and pursue value.

Significance Beyond Philosophy: Leadership, Corporate Values, Public Policy, and AI

1. Leadership and Organizational Culture
   • Collaborative Decision-Making: Traditional leadership models often focus on personal vision and individual charisma. Dr. Mortimer’s argument suggests that leaders’ agency and authenticity is tied to the agency and identities of those they lead. Leaders who recognize this can facilitate a shared sense of purpose and cultivate a culture in which team members feel personally invested in collective goals.
   • Trust and Authenticity: If the self is shaped by trusting relationships, then leaders who proactively build trust—by listening attentively, distributing authority, and respecting varied expertise—will likely see deeper employee engagement. Leaders become “authentic” in an organization’s eyes when they recognize that their own identity is partly constituted by the people they lead.
2. Corporate Values and Strategy
   • Internal Alignment: Many corporations issue value statements, but these risk remaining abstract if not produced through genuine participation by employees. Dr. Mortimer’s “We” perspective shows that corporate values become meaningful when they reflect employees’ collective self-understanding rather than top-down directives alone.
   • Change Management: Mergers, restructurings, or new market ventures can threaten employees’ sense of who they are within the company. A relational view of authenticity offers strategies to handle transitions in a way that acknowledges individual and collective identities, thereby reducing resistance and strengthening cohesion.
3. Public Policy and Community Building
   • Participatory Governance: If our identities emerge socially, then policy should be crafted with those social identities in mind. This suggests new approaches for official bodies to design policies in collaboration with communities, and thereby reflect the network of values that bind those communities together.
   • Social Trust and Collective Well-Being: Policy success depends on individuals recognizing themselves in proposed solutions. Dr. Mortimer’s research suggests that the selves to be reflected in these solutions are constituted by the wider social networks in which these individuals are embedded.
4. Artificial Intelligence and Technology Ethics
   • Authenticity and Digital Mediation: As AI systems increasingly influence personal choices—from recommending what to buy to diagnosing health conditions—they may shape how people see themselves and one another. Dr. Mortimer’s framework suggests that if selfhood is inherently social, AI can either enhance or undermine authenticity, depending on whether it strengthens interpersonal connections or weakens them.
   • Guarding Relational Integrity: Rather than focus solely on individual “user autonomy,” designers and policymakers can address how AI affects the relationships that forge authentic selves. 

Toward a More Connected Future

By reframing authenticity as something social rather than primarily individual, Dr. Mortimer’s publication in The Philosophical Quarterly resonates with KIP’s conviction that values are cultivated through the ways that individuals and groups actively shape each other. KIP welcomes readers—across business, government, and academia—to engage with these insights and help advance the conversation on what it means to “become authentic” in an interconnected world.

Further details on Dr. Mortimer’s paper can be found at The Philosophical Quarterly.