Leadership and the Unmasking of Authenticity

The Philosophy of Self-Knowledge and Deception

New Horizons in Leadership Studies series

Edited by Brent Edwin Cusher, Associate Professor, Department of Leadership and American Studies, Christopher Newport University and Mark A. Menaldo, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Texas A&M University–Commerce, US

Leadership and the Unmasking of Authenticity presents a philosophic treatment of the core concept of authentic leadership theory, with a view toward illuminating how authors in the history of philosophy have understood authenticity as an ideal for humanity. Such an approach requires a broader view of the historical origins of authenticity and the examination of related ideas such as self-knowledge and deception. The chapters of this book illuminate the conflict between the contemporary understanding of authenticity and traditional philosophy by revisiting the ideas of thinkers who express self-knowledge as a cornerstone of their philosophy.