IB Philosophy 10.9.7 Connections to the Core Theme and Optional Themes Key Definitions

the moral ideal, articulated by Charles Taylor in The Ethics of Authenticity (1991), that each person has an original way of being human and a moral obligation to discover and live according to that inner voice, rather than conforming to external models imposed by society, convention, or authority.

Charles Taylor's concept of the dialogical self holds that human identity is not formed in isolation but is fundamentally shaped through dialogue with others, including spoken conversation, the language of art and gesture, and the inner dialogue we carry on with those who matter to us.

Existential angst (also called anguish or anxiety) is a profound feeling of dread that arises from awareness of one's own radical freedom, the absence of a predetermined essence, and the inescapable responsibility for creating oneself through one's choices.

Horizons of meaning are Taylor's term for the broader frameworks of significance (moral, cultural, spiritual, historical) against which our choices and actions become meaningful; without such horizons, even freely chosen actions are reduced to arbitrary preferences that lack genuine moral weight.

Soft despotism, a concept articulated by Tocqueville and echoed in Taylor's work, describes a form of government that, while not overtly tyrannical, infantilises citizens by managing every detail of their lives. Lao Tzu's critique of interventionist governance anticipates this concern by arguing that excessive government control produces dependence rather than flourishing.