Charles Taylor traces the historical formation of the modern sense of self, arguing that our contemporary identity-characterized by inwardness, moral reflection, and individual authenticity-emerged not as a void devoid of meaning, but as deeply rooted in various moral sources. These include theistic traditions (like Augustine), Enlightenment rationalism (Locke, Kant), and Romantic expressivism (Rousseau and post-Romantic currents). Taylor contends that the modern turn to subjectivity didn’t lead to nihilism but to new ways of finding moral meaning, particularly in the “affirmation of ordinary life,” where every day human experiences became morally significant-a shift from hierarchical values tied to birth or social rank.
Throughout the book, Taylor offers a rich philosophical and historical genealogy of this shift, exploring key thinkers-from Plato and Descartes to contemporary voices-who contributed to the evolving moral frameworks that define modern identity. He examines how our sense of moral obligations, authenticity, and human dignity is embedded in these frameworks and how modern subjectivity is sustained by continuing moral sources rather than eroded by modernity’s disenchantment. Taylor ultimately defends the modern self, showing that it rests on profound moral foundations and a vision of ordinary life as inherently meaningful.