sept. 18th class discussion continuation: singular v. plural "authentic" examples

In class last Thursday, we were asked to analyze quotes from Benjamin. A very interesting quotation brought up was: “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.” We were asked to take apart the sentence, and use intrinsic definitions of words and word phrases to be able to define the quote as a whole. For the purpose of this blog, I have researched the definition of the “concept of authenticity”. I have come to the conclusion using the definitions of Webster’s dictionary and dictionary.com that the term is ubiquitously ambiguous. Even the definitions of “authenticity” and “authentic” must be interpreted, and can consequently be applied to a multitude of situations in a multitude of ways.

The word “concept” is defined as “a general notion or idea” and “an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct” (dictionary.com). With the thought that a concept is a construction, it can therefore be assumed to have no natural and physical backing, is open to interpretation, and is ultimately a reference to the currently accepted chain of thought. For example, the concept of “righteousness” is continually changing depending on varying moral values. The “concept of authenticity” can be thought of as constantly changing depending on what the accepted definition of authenticity is.

“Authenticity” is defined as “the quality of being authentic or of established authority for truth and correctness” (dictionary.com). To further understand the previously stated definition, a proper meaning of the root word, “authentic” is necessary. According to Webster’s Dictionary, something is “authentic” if it has “a genuine original or authority, in opposition to that which is false, fictitious, counterfeit, or apocryphal; being what it purports to be; genuine; not of doubtful origin; real; as, an authentic paper or register.” According to these combined definitions, for something to be authentic, it must be “a genuine original” as well. According to this thought, Benjamin’s quote can be interpreted as for something to be “authentic” it must have some value of originality as well.

The problem here is how much of a “presence” or how much of the original value must coincide with something to have the ability to withhold the label of “authentic”. In some cases, the popular conception of “authentic” would equivocate with the popular concept of “original”. This mirrors my example of the shroud in class. For the shroud to be considered “authentic”, or for it to have any “truth” associated with it, it must also be the original. This could be because of the shroud’s questionable background, and the fact that the shroud is a singular object, without room for multiplicity.

Another example brought up in class is that of the Rolex. The conception of the Rolex differs from that of the shroud because it is a brand or stamp that can be applied to multiple objects. This example fits well with the interpretation of an “established authority” as “authentic”. The stamp of the Rolex signifies the object (or watch in this case) has the approval of the authority, and thus it has a mark of the “original” and is comparatively, not a counterfeit.

The quote, because of its ties to conception and constructions, can be interpreted in a number of ways. This could be determined on the basis of what is the popular thought of the time. Also, whether or not the object in question is singular in being and must be the original, or can be grouped and signified by the original can determine the interpretation of the quote.