{"id":189504,"date":"2025-04-08T09:14:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T14:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=189504"},"modified":"2026-09-06T17:39:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T22:39:52","slug":"podcast-1064-from-public-citizens-to-therapeutic-selves-the-hidden-history-of-modern-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/culture\/history\/podcast-1064-from-public-citizens-to-therapeutic-selves-the-hidden-history-of-modern-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast #1,064: From Public Citizens to Therapeutic Selves \u2014 The Hidden History of Modern Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you scroll through social media feeds today, you’ll find countless posts about “living your truth” and “being authentic.” These ideas feel so natural to us now that we rarely stop to ask where they came from or what they really mean.<\/p>\n

The concept of identity \u2014 how we understand ourselves \u2014 has undergone a radical transformation over the centuries. What once was defined primarily by external markers like family, profession, and community has shifted dramatically toward inner feelings, desires, and psychological experiences.<\/p>\n

Today on the show, Carl Trueman unpacks this profound change and how we got to the lens through which we view ourselves today. Carl is a professor, theologian, and the author of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self<\/em><\/a>. Throughout our conversation, he explores the insights of three key thinkers \u2014 Charles Taylor, Philip Rieff, and Alasdair MacIntyre \u2014 who have mapped the historical and cultural shifts that have transformed our ideas of identity. We discuss how this transformation has reshaped politics, education, and religion, while considering whether we’ve lost something essential in moving from a shared understanding of human nature to an increasingly individualized conception of self.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you scroll through social media feeds today, you’ll find countless posts about “living your truth” and “being authentic.” These ideas feel so natural to us now that we rarely stop to ask where they came from or what they really mean. 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