THE RISE AND TRIUMPH OF THE MODERN SELF
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BY CARL R. TRUEMAN
Dear Dr. Trueman, would you make this book required reading for every member of Congress?
G.K. Chesterton said, "Thinking means connecting things." In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, Carl Trueman connects today's SOGI politics to its philosophical roots, from the works of "Rousseau through the Romantics to Freud and then to the New Left." 384
Grab a cup of coffee. Get comfortable. This book is going to take awhile to read. And it is worth it!
Trueman contends the rise of identity politics "are a symptom or manifestation of the deeper revolution in selfhood that the rise and triumph of expressive individualism represents." p. 355 He writes:
Transgenderism is a symptom, not a cause. It is not the reason why gender categories are now so confused; it is rather a function of a world in which the collapse of metaphysics and of stable discourse has created such chaos that not even the most basic of binaries, that between male and female, can any longer lay claim to meaningful objective status. And the roots of this pathology lie deep within the intellectual traditions of the West. 376
As Richard Weaver told us in his 1948 work by the same title, ideas have consequences. And it is those ideas that Trueman wants us to see.
My purpose throughout has been to show how ideas that today permeate both the conscious philosophies and the intuitions that dominate the social imaginary have deep historical roots. p. 339
What I realized in reading Trueman is that the deep-seated emotivism that drives the sexual revolution makes discussions about philosophical differences nearly impossible. For example, oppositional appeals to my congressmen about the Equality Act based a historical heterosexual norm, classic definitions of marriage, or law rooted in a Judeo-Christian tradition are likely to fall on deaf ears when the basis for right and wrong shift from the permanence of law to the psychology of self. That is not to say, "Don't make the appeal," but to recognize the challenge of civil discussion when the cultural norms change.
Trueman introduces the reader to the philosopher Charles Taylor. Taylor shows us two ways people think about the world: mimesis and poiesis.
A mimetic view regards the world as having a given order and a given meaning and thus sees human beings as required to discover that meaning and conform themselves to it. Poiesis, by way of contrast, sees the world as so much raw material out of which meaning and purpose can be created by the individual. p. 39
The reason it is increasingly difficult to carry on an ideological conversation is that the social imaginary of our day is poietic. Feelings trump objective truth. In fact, feelings are fact. Appeals to reason are dismissed as a part of a history of societal oppression. The maltreatment? Traditional views of binary gender distinction (male and female) and normative views of heterosexual relationship. The modern mind sees these ideas as oppressive. They must be condemned and cast off.
"Deathwork" is the name Philip Rieff gives to the way a group seeks to undermine and destroy established cultural norms and tear down the traditional moral structure of society. The LGBT+ community is engaged in facilitating that deathwork, an effort certainly made more likely with the passage of the Equality Act. Hence, as Trueman notes:
The LGBT+ alliance represents the latest and most powerful example of an anticulture, a deathwork, and a rejection of nature, underpinned by the aesthetic and emotive ethics that are so typical of a therapeutic age. p. 340
LGBTQ+ while representing differing perspectives relative to gender identity (and even disagreeing and contradicting one another) connect as victims of society's oppressive heterosexual norms (p. 355). As a group they wield significant influence.
As Trueman repeatedly points out, transgenderism (the "T" of the LGBTQ+ equation) is not so much the problem today as it is a symptom of a cultural ethic that has made the jump from mimesis to poiesis. That said, not every normative-defying group is on board with the transgender movement. Many feminists are not signing on. To them, simply declaring, "I am a woman trapped in a man's body" diminishes the place of women in history. As Germain Greer notes, "The pain, the struggle, and the history of oppression that shape what it means to be a woman in society are thus trivialized" (p. 360). Greer adds, "If uterus-and-ovaries transplants were made mandatory of wannabe women they would disappear overnight." p. 361 Holdouts notwithstanding, as Trueman's title suggests, the self-affirming sexualized modern self is on the ascendancy.
How Trueman divides his work:
The Rise And Triumph of the Modern Self is divided into four parts. In Part 1, Trueman examines the architecture of this sexual revolution. He shows us the reimagined self and culture. Part 2 is a deep dive into the ideological forces that have shaped what we are now experiencing. Trueman expertly traces the works of Rousseau, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Blake, as well as the impact of Nietzsche, Marx, and Darwin. Remember Chesterton? He said, "Thinking is connecting things." Trueman's connections are interesting and compelling. In Part 3, Trueman discusses Freud and the sexualization of the revolution. While Freud's theories are dismissed, culture has latched on to his fixation with all things erotic. Part 4, "Triumphs of the Revolution" points out how society's love affair with the erotic in art and culture is "symptomatic part of a larger cultural whole" (p. 380). Individualism, the psychologized view of reality, therapeutic ideals, cultural amnesia, and the pansexuality of our day must be understood -- and can only be understood -- in the broader context. His "Concluding Unscientific Prologue" is a fitting end to his work.
I gleaned a lot from The Rise And Triumph of the Modern Self. Here are a few items:
1. From mimesis to poiesis: Charles Taylor's construct is helpful as a broad ontological overview.
2. Psychology trumps biology: The reality of the body is not as real as the convictions of the mind. p. 369
3.Feelings trump reason: Trueman's subtitle includes the words "expressive individualism." This is a note he plays throughout the book while also demonstrating the historical basis for this shift.
4. Goodbye nuclear family: "What nature declares impossible--two people of the same sex can conceive a child--technology has made possible, and "the sexual revolution has then made imperative." p. 372
5. LGBTQ+ is a disparate and conflicting group united against "ideological and political enemies":The groups are disparate in that "T" denies the male-female binary the "L" and "G" embrace. The oppressors are a hetrological society whose biggest proponent has been religious groups, the most notorious "evil" being Christians.
6. It's not all bad: I appreciate how Trueman shows how all of us (yes, even Christians who oppose transgenderism) are expressive individualists. Consider your denominational choice, or social media account. He also acknowledges how the modern self's emphasis on human dignity is a perspective with which Christians agree.
7. But it's pretty bad: The reason for gloomy look is the basis for dignity is polar opposite. Christians base human dignity in that all humans are made in the image of God. This, he notes, was the driving force of the civil rights movement in the 50s and 60s. The premise of human dignity of expressive individualism, however, rests on human dignity detatched from any human or divine order. As Trueman notes, what we are left with is "a kind of totalitarian anarchy." p. 287
8. The Founding Fathers ideas of religious freedom and freedom of speech are out of step with the current social imaginary. When one's religious beliefs or patterns of speech "oppress" those whose identity is based in a selfhood void of a metaphysical construct, and that is the pervading view, it can only be a matter of time before such "rights" become wrongs.
9. Christian inconsistency: Christians cannot decry Obergefell and simply wink at no-fault divorce. It's inconsistent. The two are related.
10. Philip Rieff's "The Modern West as a Third-World Culture": See pages 74ff. So good and helpful for understanding why it is difficult to enter civil discourse today.
A Sobering Conclusion:
Trueman notes, "The long-term implications of this revolution are significant, for no culture or society that has had to justify itself by itself has every maintained itself for any length of time. Such always involves cultural entropy..." p. 381 The triumph of the modern self is a triumph of psychology over theology, of "I feel" over "thus saith the LORD." It is Judges 21:25, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The result was chaos and captivity. Should we expect a different outcome?
Reason For Hope:
Trueman points Christians to the Christian community and to the second-century where he see parallels to the challenges of our day. The church's existence as a close-knit, doctrinally bounded community provides a foundation to live consistently with faithfulness to Christ and as a light that makes a difference today and prepares for a better tomorrow.
The Rise And Triumph Of The Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution is not an easy read, but it is an exceptionally good read. Carl Trueman is helping me make sense of these volatile times and chart a way through them. I highly recommend this book.
_____
Notes:
"Thinking means connecting things" from Twelve Types(Norfolk, VA.: IHS Press, 2003), 28)
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The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution Hardcover – November 10, 2020
by Carl R. Trueman (Author), Rod Dreher (Foreword)
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“Carl Trueman explains modernity to the church, with depth, clarity, and force. The significance of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self . . . is hard to overstate.”
—Rod Dreher, from the Foreword
Modern culture is obsessed with identity. Since the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, sexual identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends—yet no historical phenomenon is its own cause. From Augustine to Marx, various views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of the self.
In this timely book, Carl Trueman analyzes the development of the sexual revolution as a symptom—rather than the cause—of the human search for identity. Trueman surveys the past, brings clarity to the present, and gives guidance for the future as Christians navigate the culture in humanity’s ever-changing quest for identity.
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The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them.
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While sex may be presented today as little more than a recreational activity, sexuality is presented as that which lies at the very heart of what it means to be an authentic person.
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For me to be a self in the sense I am using the term here involves an understanding of what the purpose of my life is, of what constitutes the good life, of how I understand myself—my self—in relation to others and to the world around me.
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From the Publisher
Trueman
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
Carl Trueman traces the historical roots of many hot-button issues such as transgenderism and homosexuality, offering thoughtful biblical analysis.
Reviews
Rod Dreher
Ben Shapiro
Bruce Riley Ashford
"This is without question one of the most important religious books of the decade."
—Rod Dreher, senior editor at The American Conservative; author of The Benedict Option
Excerpt from review in The Wall Street Journal
"This is the most important book of our moment."
—Ben Shapiro, editor emeritus for The Daily Wire; host of The Ben Shapiro Show
"The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is perhaps the most significant analysis and evaluation of Western culture written by a Protestant during the past fifty years."
—Bruce Riley Ashford, Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; coauthor, The Gospel of Our King
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is perhaps the most significant analysis and evaluation of Western culture written by a Protestant during the past fifty years. If you want to understand the social, cultural, and political convulsions we are now experiencing, buy this book, and read it for all it is worth. Highly recommended.”
―Bruce Riley Ashford, Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; coauthor, The Gospel of Our King
“Carl Trueman has a rare gift for fusing the deep social insights of a Philip Rieff, a Christopher Lasch, or an Augusto Del Noce with a vital Christian faith and marvelously engaging style. Psalm 8 names the central question of every age, including our own: ‘What is man?’ In explaining the development of the modern self and the challenges it poses to human identity and happiness, Trueman makes sense of a fragmenting world. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned for sustaining the Christian faith in a rapidly changing culture.”
―Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia
“This is a characteristically brilliant book by Carl Trueman, helping the church understand why people believe that sexual difference is a matter of psychological choice. Indeed, Trueman shows how the story we tell ourselves about normalized LGBTQ+ values is false and foolish. With wisdom and clarity, Trueman guides readers through the work of Charles Taylor, Philip Rieff, British Romantic poets, and Continental philosophers to trace the history of expressive individualism from the eighteenth century to the present. The rejection of mimesis (finding excellence by imitating something greater than yourself) for poiesis (finding authenticity by inventing yourself on your own terms), in addition to the Romantic movement’s welding of sexual expression as a building block of political liberation, ushers in the modern LGBTQ+ movement as if on cue. This book reveals how important it is for thinking Christians to distinguish virtue from virtue signaling. The former makes you brave; the latter renders you a man pleaser, which is a hard line to toe in a world where there are so few real men left to please.”
―Rosaria Butterfield, Former Professor of English, Syracuse University; author, The Gospel Comes with a House Key
“Moderns, especially Christian moderns, wonder how our society arrived at this strange moment when nearly everything about the self and sexuality that our grandparents believed is ridiculed. This genealogy of culture, clearly and elegantly written, will help all of us understand how we got to where we are, so that we can plot our own futures with more clarity and confidence. This book is a must-read for Christians and all others who are disturbed by the dictatorship of relativism that surrounds us.”
―Gerald R. McDermott, Former Anglican Chair of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School
“Carl Trueman is a superb teacher. Sharp, perceptive, and lucid, this book is the worthy fruit of learnedness and insight. But more than a teacher, Trueman also has the voice of a prophet. He speaks truth masterfully, with power. In bringing clarity on how we got to our present desert wilderness as a culture, Trueman helps us understand our crooked ways―and situates us to make straight the way of the Lord.”
―Adeline A. Allen, Associate Professor of Law, Trinity Law School
“This is an amazing piece of work. Blending social commentary with an insightful history of ideas as well as keen philosophical and theological analyses, Carl Trueman has given us what is undoubtedly the most accessible and informed account of the modern self and how it has shaped and informed the cultural battles of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. It is a fair-minded, carefully wrought diagnosis of what ails our present age. This book is essential reading for all serious religious believers who rightly sense that the ground is shifting underneath their feet, that the missionaries for the modern self are not content with simply allowing believers to practice their faith in peace but see these believers and their institutions as targets for colonization and involuntary assimilation. For this reason, every president of a faith-based college or university should read The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self more than once.”
―Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies and Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Philosophy, Baylor University
“Those looking for a light read that provides escape from the cares of the world will not find The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self their book of choice. But this volume will richly reward readers who don’t mind thinking hard about important (though sometimes unpleasant) topics. Christians have been taken off guard by how rapidly cultural mores have changed around them, but Carl Trueman demonstrates that radical thinkers have long been laying a foundation for these developments. Readers should press on to the end―the final paragraphs are among the best.”
―David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Westminster Seminary California
“Carl Trueman’s gifts as an intellectual historian shine in this profound and lucid book. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self needs to be read by anyone who wants to understand our current cultural distempers.”
―R. R. Reno, Editor, First Things
“Carl Trueman has written an excellent book: ambitious in its scope yet circumspect in its claims and temperate, even gentlemanly, in its tone. The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self will prove indispensable in moving beyond the superficiality of moralistic and liberationist interpretations to a deeper understanding and should be required reading for all who truly wish to understand the times we live in or are concerned about the human future. I very much hope it receives the wide readership it deserves.”
―Michael Hanby, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy of Science, Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Catholic University of America
“Our culture did not simply wake up one morning and decide to reject sexual mores that have held civilization together for millennia. The sexual revolution that has overthrown basic human and teleological assumptions over the past sixty years has a history. With the adroit skill of an intellectual historian, the patience and humility of a master teacher, and the charity and conviction of a Christian pastor, Carl Trueman offers us this necessary book. We cannot respond appropriately to our times unless we understand how and why our times are defined such as they are. Trueman’s work is a great gift to us in our continuing struggle to live in the world but be not of the world.”
―John D. Wilsey, Associate Professor of Church History and Philosophy, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, God’s Cold Warrior and American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion
“I don’t think there will be a better-researched or more fascinating book in all of 2020.”
―Tim Challies, blogger, Challies.com
About the Author
Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is a contributing editor at First Things, an esteemed church historian, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including The Creedal Imperative; Luther on the Christian Life; and Histories and Fallacies. He is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Publisher : Crossway (November 10, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 432 pages