L'unico e la sua autenticità. Dalla "cura di sé" alla "curatela del sé"

The essay analyses the historical and conceptual evolution of authenticity, em- phasising its transformation from a transcendent value to a device of contemporary singularism. Starting with the Lukácsian critique of individualism as the measure of all things, the author notes that today, individuals claim their own uniqueness as the absolute criterion of value and legitimacy. This new form of authenticity, termed ‘singularist’, abandons the substantialist and transcendent dimensions typ- ical of Hellenistic ethics and Romantic authenticity (both of which are based on ‘self-care’ and the transformative work of the subject) in favour of an immediate affirmation of the self as it is, without any external constraints or shared criteria for verification. This phenomenon is viewed as a consequence of the intensification of modern individualism, where the individual becomes the curator of a fragmented and constructed identity, and authenticity is primarily expressed through public performance and exhibition. Tensions emerge: on the one hand, singularist authen- ticity can be emancipatory for marginalised individuals, but on the other hand, it can weaken mechanisms of social recognition and the possibility of transcendence. This generates a proliferation of uniqueness that is difficult to compare, as well as a tendency towards the trivialisation and spectacularisation of the self. The essay thus proposes critical reflection on the sociocultural implications of this subjectivist turn and the challenges it poses to modern institutions.