Book Review

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

I recently finished The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman for the second time. The fact that I have read the book twice tells you something of its importance. This book was published in 2020, and I first read it in 2021. But the book is so compelling that I decided I wanted to read it again.

The full title of the book tells you much about its content: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self- Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution. In this book, Trueman, a theologian who currently teaches at Grove City College in Pennsylvania is tracing the roots of the current sexual revolution. Early in the book, he points out that statements such as “I was born a man trapped in a woman’s body” are commonplace today but literally were non-sensical until the last few years. How did this happen? 

Rather than simply describing the LGBTQ+ revolution, or even the sexual revolution beginning in the 1960s, Trueman seeks to look for the roots in the modern notion of the self, which is very distinct from any previous period or culture in human history. Beginning with Rousseau, he moves through the development of the formation of modern notions of the self, including contributions of poets and artists, philosophers, and ethicists. His discussion is wide-ranging but presents a compelling case: the current sexual revolution is the logical outcome of many previous ideas that coalesced into the modern notion of the self.

As mentioned in the title, the modern self can be referred to as “expressive individualism”. In this view, not only is the individual far more important than society at large, but the surrounding society is viewed as an oppressive problem from which the self – which over time became increasingly defined in sexual terms – must be liberated. Furthermore, liberation requires the sexual self to be expressed, and that others around not merely tolerate but actively applaud this expression. This goes a long way to explaining our current situation.

I will state that this book can be dense. When one is covering people such as Rousseau, Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche, Freud, and the Frankfurt school it necessarily requires complex discussion. However, it rewards the effort. I would highly recommend the book as an excellent resource to understand how we have arrived at our current sad state. However, many may prefer his less technical abridgment of this work Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution. Either way, it is important that we understand why our culture has changed in these ways and the underlying assumptions that must be challenged and rejected.

As a note, I read the book on Kindle the first time and listened to the audio version which was read by the author the second time. Both versions are good, but as noted above the material can be complex. So I am glad I read it in print the first time and then listened to it the second time.

In Christ,

Bret