Practising Authenticity in Dialégesthai: Dialogue as the First Reality of Philosophy

This article argues that authenticity is best understood as a dialogical achievement emerging within dialégesthai, conceived as being-in-communication-as-dialogue and the first reality of philosophy. It critiques reductive views of authenticity as mere self-expression and develops a stronger account grounded in interpersonal justification, conceptual clarification, and shared inquiry. The analysis draws primarily on the work of Charles Taylor, Stefano Oliverio, Matthew Lipman, Susan Gardner, and Daniel Anderson as its main theoretical sources. It shows that authenticity requires participation in norm-governed dialogical practices where self-descriptions are tested, revised, and owned. The paper further argues that philosophy with communities provides a privileged setting for cultivating authenticity, while also exposing risks such as pseudo-reasoning, solipsism, and superficial dialogue that can undermine authentic self-formation.