Charles Taylor and the Modern Moral Sources of the Self

Home , Sources of the Self

Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM but the 1 3 Self 121 Ateneo de Manila University de Manila Ateneo Mark Joseph T. Calano, Ph.D. Calano, T. Joseph Mark He writes: 2 materials materials and resources with which they interpret uman persons are self-interpreting animals, Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity (Cambridge: Sources Taylor, Charles PPR, 110. Charles Taylor, Human Agency and Language: Philosophical Papers I (Cambridge: I (Cambridge: Human Agency and Language: Philosophical Papers Taylor, Charles 2 3 1 The book is genealogical. I start from the present situation, from situation, from present the from I start The book is genealogical. formative formative ideas, from our conflicting forms of self-understanding, arise… it they which from forms earlier and I try certain unearth to step it is a very selective reconstruction, historical is not a complete sources. certain rediscover to backwards H Charles Charles Taylor, then, initiates a historical narrative of the Charles Taylor and the Modern Moral Sources of the of the Sources Moral Modern and the Taylor Charles Interpreted,” in Suri: The Official Journal of the Philosophical Association of the Philippines (1:1, in Suri: The Official Journal of the Philosophical Interpreted,” 2012): 72-90. as SOS. to is referred this text 1989), ix. Henceforth, Press, University Harvard for for the solutions within the Western civilization, describing his work as an attempt to ‘retrieve’ the spiritual and moral grounds to “bring the air back again into the half-collapsed lungs of the as HAL. See also to is referred this text 1985), 4. Henceforth, Press, Cambridge University and Understanding Interpreter on Self-Interpretation: Taylor Joseph Calano, “Charles Mark development of the modern identity in its relation to moral goods moral to relation its in identity modern the of development suggests adopting that never he surprising It is sources. and their science and individualism Western by contaminated less culture a looks He grounds. moral and spiritual of loss the to answer the as his ideas on self and identity. Other terms in the title alone like sources of the self and the making of modern identity imply that development the of explanation causal a offering is Taylor Charles of modern self by aiming to “articulate modern identity.” and write a history of themselves themselves change. The self is a framework. This self framework, only however, is within fleeting a and changing particular through time. In discussing the modern self, I draw greatly from thoroughly discusses Taylor Charles where Self the of Sources the I. Introduction: Scentia Inside.indd 121 Scentia Inside.indd 122 Calano ... ouig n h hsoia rte ta te nooia, o much for ontological, the lived than rather historical is the on it focusing as identity modern the today. illuminate to self modern spirit.” Henceforth, furtherreference to thistext shallbereferred to asRBD. History and Action Y. Yovel (ed.)(Dordrecht: Reidel, 1978),24 University Press, 1985),257.Henceforth, thistext isreferred to asPHS. the universe, of God, or human beings on which life goods depend suffering. and death of avoidance the and self-rule, and freedom of ideals quest for individual self-realization and expressive fulfillment, the ethic of benevolence, an ethos of universal respect and justice, the valuable.” or worthy goods. constitutive and goods life goods: different include ontology that this insists Taylor Charles modernity. of ontology moral the in II. ModernMoral Sources andtheDistinct Self: order beyond, andthetraditional theistichorizon. identity,of threebroadhorizons larger the the self, arethe which in other each to relate self modern the of aspects different these and authenticity,the affirmation of ordinary life. of The study concludes with expressionshow freedom, disengaged depths, inner moralfourmodern sources,the namely, outlines and self modern the of birth the relate I follows, what In cultures. specific their in moraland appreciationwovenspiritual dimensions an the and of toappreciationlead an also cultureswill other self of modern the TaylorCharles that affirms. goods of plurality the of acceptance the to lead will self modern the of complexity the historical understandingwithoutself-understanding.” understanding without historical understanding… and there is no “ time. over being into come self human the of Strong evaluation is inescapable. Its presence situates the self the presencesituates Its evaluationStronginescapable. is uncovering that hope I self, the of analysis this adopting In 5 9 4 Recounting this history contributes to self-knowledge by self-knowledge to contributes history this Recounting 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 On one hand, “[a] lifeproperty“[a] a hand, is one good On which makes life hre Tyo fns t ia t wie hsoy f the of history a write to vital it finds Taylor Charles PHS, 244. SOS, 112,503,511,514,520. Ibid., 319. Charles Taylor, “CommentsonRicoeur’sHistory andHermeneutics”inPhilosophy of Charles Taylor, Philosophy andtheHumanSciences (Cambridge:Cambridge SOS, 520. SOS, 495. Charles Taylor, “Reply to Baybrooke andDeSousa” inDialogue(Winter 1994),126. 11 On the other hand, constitutive goods are “features of 10 A modern man’s life goods consist in an in consist goods life man’s modern A 122 6 [T]here is no self- no is [T]here 8 Knowledge of Knowledge 7

7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM These goods 12 Second is the

15 Third is the self’sthe is Third 14 16 123 Taylor calls these constitutive goods ‘moral 13 This third aspect further leads to the discussion 17

19 This is linked with another facet of the human person human the of facet another with linked is This 18 Ibid., 158. Ibid., ix. Ibid., 12. Ibid., 12-13. Ibid., 394-95. Charles Taylor, “Comments and Replies” in Inquiry 34 (1991): 243. Henceforth, this in Inquiry 34 (1991): 243. Henceforth, “Comments and Replies” Taylor, Charles 130 RBD, SOS, 311. 15 16 17 18 19 12 13 14 Taylor Taylor is not claiming an ontological situation for the whole In relation to this, Charles Taylor identifies the salient features features salient the identifies Taylor Charles this, to relation In Constitutive Constitutive goods are largely unarticulated metaphysical dignity and respect attributed to all persons simply because they human. are as CAR. to shall be referred text affirmation of ordinary life, further informs the modern person. Different, yet related to this cultural movement, is benevolence, the ethic the of modern self’s suffering. desire to minimize avoidable that all individuals must be entitled to a life of minimal pain, a sense of uniqueness combined with the egalitarian aspects of the modern self. of authenticity in modern culture. This is the ethical imperative to be true to the human person’s particular the self. And affirmation fourth is of ordinary life. This cultural movement, the prayer, or whatever-- for moral empowerment.” moral for or whatever-- prayer, of the modern self as by it developing is related under to the modern Romanticism. First moral is impact the sources sense of of inwardness. disengagement. radical a as freedom of the notion Enlightenment and make make more vivid what in is a more involved certain life good and often to empower one by a more potent sense of the constitutive good as a source.” sources’ “insofar as [humanity] turns to them in is way whatever appropriate to them--through contemplation, or invocation, or and epistemological ground on which life goods are constructed. Embracing a constitutive good enables generate whatever the he human has to person affirm and clarify “to is goods to and constitutive articulating of point The good. adhere to a given life are qualitatively are different qualitatively from each This other. condition denies the possibility of having these goods good. fundamental a more to or reduced rank-ordered, harmoniously combined, and which command… moral awe or allegiance.” Scentia Inside.indd 123 Scentia Inside.indd 124 Calano ... times, at different speeds, and in different ways in various parts of more and more societies are converging. This happens at different remains to be an on-going project where more and more people in This self. distinctivemodern the describe to tries he as humanity inwardness. Its real emergence awaits Augustine’s transformation for hisactsofvirtue. life is the most advantageous life even if one should have to suffer is no longer decisive, as he sees it, for personal happiness: the just becomes so important in Plato’s thinking that success in the world rather than driven oneself, this within way and centered that by and conflicting desires. This himself centering with one at both is itself a kind of unity. The person who is genuinely ruled by reason the single lawsAs of human thought and feeling, path. the soul inwardachieves within the of signs first the manifests good the of vision its and reason to desire human of submission the of result this conceptionchangedsincethen. modern emphasis on inwardness Augustine in St. and shows how cosmic orders ofmeaning.Taylor explains: inwardness between connection direct a is there But, inwardness. self’s the with associated is order cosmic and incomprehensible to those in pre-modern traditional cultures. alien are that self-understandings of collection a describing is he is.”Rather,now everyone “where describing not is He world. the But, But, Plato’s theory is only a precondition for the rise of a sense of a as soul the within order of reign the on insistence Plato’s the sees but Plato, to features these of first the Taylortraces larger a from disconnected is self the that sense modern The ofInwardness:A. Sense without. isto befound within,identity of while for thepre-modern is it to answeringthe question, who amI?…for the modern,the horizon order inwhich Iam placed is an external horizon which is essential 23 22 21 20 For the pre-modern… Iamanelement inalarger order… The Ibid., 111-126. SOS, 128-129,140,177. PHS, 258. SOS, 111,114,121. 21

124 22

20 and the attrition of attrition the and 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM

24 Taylor argues that while both Taylor 26 125 However, Taylor points out Taylor that radical However, 25 Ibid., 130-131. Cf.PHS, 266-267 HAL, 112. SOS, 174-175, 232. SOS, 173, 178, 183. 24 25 26 If I attend to my wounded hand, or begin (belatedly) to think about think to hand, or begin (belatedly) wounded my to If I attend from one’s being the agent of experience. agent one’s being the from the state of my soul instead of worldly success. I am indeed concerned I am indeed concerned success. of worldly soul instead of my state the as the on myself not focusing I am radically. but not yet myself, with agent of experience and making this my object… Radical reflexivity is inseparable which oneself to a kind of presence fore the brings to This movement is epistemologically decisive because the reflexivity developed in reflexivity another by way providing the idea of the human person with inner depths. the disengaged subject and the understanding of are rooted inner both in approaches radical reflexivity, to the depths self soon diverged. While Cartesian disengagement urged idiosyncrasies, and experience ordinary individuals from themselves abstract to radical radical reflexivity is a prerequisite to the birth of the disengaged subject of modern epistemology. Certainly, this is connected to the positive sciences’ desire to know the world It objectively. is to contribute subjects knowing the what identify to imperative an the process of knowing. direction of one’s attention to the world is refocused to one’s activity activity one’s to refocused is world the to attention one’s of direction as a thinking person, the radical act of knowing one’s self. This the following manner: the following with Augustine one can observe a shift towards ‘radical reflexivity’. reflexivity’. ‘radical towards shift a observe can one Augustine with not radical all While have all a societies notion have of reflexivity, to a on focus refers the self qua Radical reflexivity self, reflexivity. of subject the to object the from inquiry of focus the in change the experience. contrasts Taylor radical reflexivity and reflexivity in is the insistence of goods that are spiritual and immaterial over those that are corporeal merely and fleeting. In his epistemology, he transforms Platonic good into an interior guiding light, which makes thinking possible and is, words, other In itself. in reason human of activity fact, very the grounding an invariable standard of Platonic epistemology and ethics because it is only Augustine who created the distinction between ‘inward’ a and to path a and St. ‘outward’. God towards path a both is inwardness Augustine’s particular moral source. In Augustinian ethics, there for example, Scentia Inside.indd 125 Scentia Inside.indd 126 Calano ... to moving upward to God, peculiarity. everyday its in disengaged self is not Augustine’s immersed self. The former is self only a prelude the of exploration deeper a encouraged depths inner of recognition the Henceforth, thistext isreferred to asHGL. From self. disengaged the of advent the and freedom of finding but reconsiders its positive effects. The erosion,positive effectsthis include the of Nietzsche. effects negative the of at look only nihilism not Taylordoes the possible makes world meaningful preordained any from world. the liberated in is meaning self modern the meaning, creation. Since the disenchanted world denies any intrinsic moral God’s hierarchyof the in situated nor forms, of world a of part as seen longer no is person human The order. cosmic larger some Romantic tradition anditsreaction against theEnlightenment. are which feelings, natural benevolent. This thinking was a great source human of inspiration for the obscure Both, him, reason. to instrumental according of hegemony the of consequences seventeenth century scientific revolution, and fears the the deleteriousby troubled is Rousseau seems, it As sciences. positive the of promises the and world the of disenchantment the againstreacts others. of determined by an inward turn, not an inquiry towards the opinion happiness. and guidance moral renewal of source moral a become of turn inward source an may a so becomes world natural the as Just inside. the and outside the between connection that close a thinks is there Rousseau Rousseau. Jacques Jean in ‘outward’ and self-exploration. oent n lne se te ua pro a stae in situated as person human the sees longer no Modernity B. Disengaged Freedom: ‘inward’ of pattern same the identifies TaylorCharlesfurther 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 Charles Taylor, Hegel(Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1983),25. Ibid., 132,134,136,390. Ibid., 175,182. SOS, 16-18. PHS, 256-260.SOS,18,160,395. SOS, 368-369,429,456-457. PHS, 272. 30 29 Rousseau, in proposing that nature is a moral source, moral a is nature that proposing in Rousseau, o te ih tig o o t b o t fe, s o be to is feel, to or be to do, to thing right the So, 32 h eoin f eif n n inherently an in belief of erosion The 28 while the latter is a prelude to further 126 27 Descartes’ 31 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM 33

Charles Taylor and the Modern....

34 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Thus, he is “capable of 39

127 35 This new view builds itself on the 36 for just as he becomes vulnerable to 37

38 This restricted conception of the self contributes contributes self the of conception restricted This 40 MTS, 308. 66-78. PAS, SOS, 46. Ibid., 159, 161, 172, 174, 196-197, and 314-315. Ibid., 21. HGL, 7 & 539. SOS, 188. PHS, 258. 36 37 38 39 40 34 35 In this process, the self becomes increasingly insulated and The modern development of the private sphere, that valorizes that valorizes sphere, of the private development The modern human development, many While of concerns. selfhood, transcendent or divine society, the and God, to politics reference without traditional doctrines see the human person as realizing himself modern this distinctively a to wider cosmic in order, relation only to to the development of exclusive humanism by isolating the self farther from the surrounding world. By Charles ‘exclusive humanism’, Taylor refers to construes human flourishing in terms, worldly without reference a moral-cum-spiritual outlook to God, that divinity, or transcendent goods. It gives an account of more more tightly bounded from the world. objectifying not only the surrounding world, but emotions and inclinations, also fears and compulsions, his and achieving own to him allows which self-possession and distance of kind a thereby ‘rationally.” act resisted the blandishments of those pleasing and flattering world- flattering and pleasing those of blandishments the resisted views which hide the austere reality of the human condition in a disenchanted universe. He has taken up the scientific attitude. have he may little mastery is set,life of his however direction The achieved.” actually in accordance with its will. idea of a disengaged self, external his beyond forces control, the self also aspires to master his passions and desires. The of disengaged objectification; self is he in “has full broken favor with religion, superstition, Locke as its major exponents. Locke discipline and self-reconstruction at individual and social levels, came from the neo-Stoic thinker Justus Taylor sees Lipsius. the In self his as works, able to reconfigure itself and its world this perspective, the human person emerges as the subject, whose whose subject, the as emerges person human the perspective, this world. an meaning objective to task understand is give and to to seventeenth the from self the of understanding this grounds Taylor century and identifies René Descartes, Francis Bacon, and John Scentia Inside.indd 127 Scentia Inside.indd 128 Calano ... or any other transcendent moral source in the modern age. What age. modern the in sourcemoraltranscendent anyother or order.cosmic anyof wider tothis absence attachment the in himself define and approach to the self is characterized by his capacity to understand Locke, Taylor findsitsfullestarticulationanddescribingitthus: self-objectification.”of form radical unprecedentedly new, “a as calls Taylor which self, the towards self. to the self. totally objective a world. Second, in this disengagement is subject also applied a be to person human the world. allows also surrounding thinking This the from detachable as self the constructs Taylor.Charles for selfhood to approachdoctrine an this be First, more far spreading widely in influence western culture. This epistemological doctrine seems to its sees Taylor but Descartes, in dependent in the validity of is its methodology.knowledge of This seems validity prevalent The method. or process intellectual. its on depends and mental rational is Being disengagement The world. the Socrates. and self over bymastery acquire to striving started means rationality on emphasis of framework meaning. public shared, overarching, an possesses longer no belief this source, moral transcendent other any or God a in believing continue individuals while that is say to wantsTaylor hs oen da f dsnae sl dvlp frhr the further develops self disengaged a of idea modern This 45 are essentially is none of the latter, but what finds itself capable of capable itself finds what but latter, the of none is essentially are particular features which are objects ofpotential change. we What remake, and objectify byand thistoact distanceoneself from allthe self. To take this stance oneself with isto identify the power to herself with aview to remaking,is what Iwant to call the “punctual” can take thisradicalof kind stancedisengagement of to himselfor creationand hencehabits, our of ourselves…of Thesubjectwho far-reachingof reformation. Rational control canextend to there- our unreflecting desires and tastes allows us to see ourselves as object This situation creates a radical disengagement from and from disengagement radical a creates situation This 46 45 44 43 42 41 The disengagement both from the activities of thoughtand from HGL, 6-7. SOS, 171. MTS, 303-304&308-309. Ibid., 161. Ibid., 149. SOS, 312,381,401,491. 42 44 Itdoesnottotally definethehumanpersonanymore. The reorganization of the material world includes the 41 This, however,This, God in anybelief disclaim not does 128 46 Analyzing the work of John of work the Analyzing 43 orc knowing Correct 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern....

48 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM But even so one can see 50 These moral underpinnings

49 47 129 HGL, 9. HAL, 112-112. S, 152, 163, 168, 174-175, & 177. SOS, 364. Ibid. modern concept of authority as peculiarly describes the who MacIntyre, Compare 49 50 47 48 fixing them and working on them. on them. working and them fixing Only Only one element needs to be identified for this picture C. Expressions of Authenticity: C. Expressions The development of the disengaged subject by Descartes and This modern aspiration to disengagement represents a moral one which excludes the notion of reason. This separation is “fashioned in a culture to which the which to in a culture is “fashioned This separation notion of reason. the excludes one which Alasdair irrational.” appear authority that appeals to repugnant,so alien and is authority of notion 2007), 41. Press, Theory (Indiana: Indiana University in Moral Virtue: A Study After MacIntyre, take take responsibility for it. sees Taylor the late eighteenth century as the bulwark of individual differences. Although differences in inclinations and abilities, values, preferences, temperament, taste, with ethical not salience. been invested they have recognized, are human person needs to decide who human he person authentically is unique is. in Every his own way. This forbids the imitation of self’sa pre-existing model or the self’s adaptation of what original an discover must person human Each imposed. socially is way of being, recognize it as the true expression of himself, and of modern identity be true to To one’s self authenticity. is to another feature distinctive be complete, of namely, the modern expressions self. The of self is an individual project where the of any and every form of heteronomy. modern of elements major the Locke with and Descartes with that identity are already in place, a human person characterized freedom. disengaged by Locke Locke undergoes further elaboration in the exposition course of of the Taylor’s contemporary sense inevitably emerge, such of as Kant’s insistence on a morality that self. is New rejection his and emphases will rational human the but nothing on grounded Correct Correct knowledge of the self and the from world nature and leads determinism, a to belief in freedom the dignity that comes from human reason and the pursuit of truth, and the power appeal and to instrumental control. the self. this notion of appreciate better one to allow and sources ideal in as much as it does represent an epistemological ideal. Scentia Inside.indd 129 Scentia Inside.indd 130 Calano ... identity question.” underlyingthe assumption the is this But being. particular our in the was found be might eraus to essential was what that modern entertained notion the before writes:”[N]owhere Taylor As linked to thedoctrineofexpressivism. AsTaylor explains: discovered withinhimself. human the who Ultimately,be to there are that found.capacities and purposes the on lies be is person to is truth real the that individualizedcharactertheir of stories particular the in is it that of the archetype of mythology, the modern novel taught the lesson with its detailed portrayal of the lives of particular people. Instead positions clearly: Montaigne’s Taylordescribes unravelled. be to mystery a as self moral of sentiments. theory eighteenth-century gained the movement in the momentum and further are; individuals as the humans who of that recognizing issue the resolvenever can nature human universal by a for search self-exploration toward the initiated whomovement Montaigne, de Michel of work the in century century, he acknowledges the traces of this ideal in the seventeenth The notion of the self as a being with an inner depth is closelyis depth inner an with being a as self the of notion The The rise of the modern novel also furthered Montaigne’s work, While Taylor sees the climax of this ideal in the late eighteenth expression. articulate, which stillstretches beyond ourfurthest point of clear depth, that is,adomain which reaches farther than we can ever do we seethe grounds for construing this innerdomainashaving it isentirely afirst-person study. individual… intensely is which reflection of kind new a inaugurates nature; we eachlook for ourownMontaigne being. therefore has to discoverown hisorher form. We are notlookingfor universal impersonal lorenature, abouthuman asitcould for Plato. Eachus of 55 54 53 52 51 [O]nly with the expressivist ideaofarticulating ourinnernature We seek self-knowledge,thisbut can nolongermean just Ibid., 389. Ibid., 286-287. Ibid., 181.Cf.PHS,272. Ibid., 283-284. Ibid., 375. 52 This French thinker illustrated a turn toward the toward turn a illustrated thinker French This 55 51

53 130

7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern....

58 56 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM

57 131 59 HGL, 16. SOS, 375-376. Ibid., 510; original emphasis. Ibid., 481. 56 57 58 59 In the post-Enlightenment world, the epiphanic power of words of words power epiphanic the world, post-Enlightenment In the only through this. this. only through cannot be treated as a fact about the order of things which hold which of things order about the a fact as be treated cannot be moved imagination… To creative of the works the by unmediated personal sensibility the into which be drawn to poem is also the by emerges truth general more The deeper, together. these holds all There is no way however that the ethics of authenticity negates negates authenticity of ethics the that however way no is There The connection between the individual and the larger world This thought is clearly manifested in Taylor’s expressivism. In expressivism. This thought is in manifested clearly Taylor’s Taylor is saying is that these shared features can only figure one’s figure can only features is that these shared is saying Taylor identity in so far as the person involved declares himself a part of these dialogical features. In The Ethics of Taylor Authenticity, by empowered is inclinations one’s to according living that claims the communitarian aspects of the self. The ethics of authenticity is of no the proscription self. There feature any does not preclude against gender, race, ethnicity, religion, class, et cetera. What informs Taylor’s analysis of post-Romantic art.of post-Romantic This analysis epiphanic art Taylor’s informs is considered as speaks a of part this of the moral sources. Taylor as he is talking about “the search for moral sources outside the subject through languages which resonate within him or her.” A particular art is, then, expressing this: to on poetry apply remarks a personal quest. Taylor’s crucial in this process of interpreting and expressing. Indeed, for Romantics, it is the very originality that marks set to ought It individuals lives. their live that would each how determine to ought all will be judged. which to according the measure gives life to his identity. It life to is gives his only him identity. who can It find his identity. Taylor it. As retrieve just cannot somebody and pre-exist not does writes, “the idea which a man realizes is not wholly determinate beforehand; it is only made fully determinate in being fulfilled.” Thus, the involvement and uniqueness of the interpreter is trying to know a human person’s identity, he is called to an inward inward an to called is he identity, person’s human a know to trying he discovery, his expressing In is. he who with touch in get to path Scentia Inside.indd 131 Scentia Inside.indd 132 Calano ... the making of things needed in life, and of reproduction, the life the reproduction, of and life, in needed things of making the production, of obligations of Taylorspeaks Charles life, ordinary respect. of worthy values spiritual and moral embody that life’ ‘ordinary of commitments threshold when itcomesto theaffirmationofordinary the life. at stands position his authenticity, expressive of sense some personal. in being as individual each of conceive horizon to ultimate the necessary was it identity, of terms in described be crisis today: Before such a crisis and such spiritual struggles could experience Luther’s identity crisis in the same way we to experience impossible is Taylor, it to According grace. by redeemed and sin by depraved as being human every of condition the defining by crisis his in meaning finds Luther Rather, one. personal a as meaning of ultimatehorizon the upon termslooking in of himself his experience in terms of expressiveunderstand authenticity nor just understand not can Luther situation, this In rejecting. is he situated in a moral space provided by Catholicism, the very system him into an identity crisis. This is due to the fact that his identity is brought Catholicism of rejections Luther’s Luther.Martin reformer,Martin Protestant the of life the at looking by this illustrates wouldhaveand times.”earlierincomprehensible in been we find it hard and to accept that it is such a recent idea in human it, history notice barely we that so much So culture. modern cornerstones of the of one become has individuation “Expressive it inamoral vocabulary. cast and waysbeing and of inclinations own their find to persons ideal. moral a Social Change(Princeton: Institute for Advanced Study, May 8-11,1997). 1992), 15-17.Henceforth, thistext isreferred to asTEA. itntv o te oen iiiain s h olgtos and obligations the is civilization modern the of Distinctive D. Affirmation ofOrdinary Life: While the figure of Martin Luther is a good foil to the dimension authenticity: one’s Taylorof expression the to givesemphasis 60 63 62 61 SOS, 11-13;Cf.211-212. Charles Taylor, inTwenty-five “IdentityandModernity” years: SocialScienceand SOS, 376. Charles Taylor, TheEthics ofAuthenticity (Cambridge:Harvard University Press, 62

60 The ideal of authenticity admonishes all human all admonishes authenticity of ideal The 63 n icsig h afrain of affirmation the discussing In 132 61 Taylor 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM What was 71 These things 70 In place of the hierarchy 68 This perspective challenges not 67 133 The phrase ‘affirmation of ordinary 64 According to him, the Graeco-Roman 66 Taylor compares this Taylor modern notion with 65 This leads to a newly acquired significance of the 69 SOS, 13-14, 218, 221-224. HGL, 9. SOS, 214-217. Ibid., 226-227 & 292. Ibid., 289. Ibid., 211. HAL, 155 & 255. PHS, 155-156. SOS, 13-14, 211, 314. 67 68 69 70 71 64 65 66 Protestantism Protestantism denies that there are activities that are religious religious justification lost its hold, and ordinary life was seen as a necessary ingredient to one’s personal changed is identity. the ethical significance with which production and worlds of production and reproduction. Working with worlds of dedication production and Working reproduction. and diligence becomes more important than the type and family of life and work, marriage are devoted to God. were not so much sources of rather always personal thought to fulfillment. lead They humans to were God. In due time, the only only the traditional aristocratic ethos, but also the traditionally Catholic one. The Calvinists separation attacked of the sacred and the profane. traditional Catholic of status and there activity, is another hierarchy of attitudes and dispositions. the worship of heroes with the worship of saints. worship with the of heroes the worship are activities all that proposes and others, than higher qualitatively worthwhile, depending on how they are conducted. This makes practiced is it that provided doing, worth activity menial most the with the appropriate attitude. person from an animal. same The work. of ethic an for space no allowed life good of vision is the case with the moralists of antiquity and who the Renaissance are more concerned with ideals perspective is of not altered with honor Christianity that and simply replaced glory. The work work and family life. and production Greece, classical In Greece. classical of outlook the reproduction were instrumental activities that made less a human person as compared to political activity and contemplation. A life of philosophical pure labor does not distinguish a human of marriage and family life. life’ is a legacy of Protestantism that This manifests secular distinctive feature way. of the itself self means that a now part in a of identifying the person’s identity is expressed in the realm of Scentia Inside.indd 133 Scentia Inside.indd 134 Calano ... unprecedented. is this living; worth life makes what of sense person’s human the in place primary a occupy to came reproduction and production life, ordinary of affirmation the With viewed. were reproduction adds to thissymbiosis. Taylor writes of: further life family in privacymany. The for fulfillment and emotional self-discovery of site the becoming by self disengaged free the philosophy oftheEnlightenment. to Greece ancient from survey historical a in steps the retracing Weber.by Max argument TaylorfromNevertheless, the develops lacking a sense of God as an immanent force, appears to have come of the values by which they live. This vision of a desacralized world, Modern human person see themselves as the sources and creators is life.”for needed things person “the creating by satisfaction gain to human able the ‘producers’, as acting in that emphasizes other.”the on life, family and marriage and hand, one on production, and labour of Charles Taylor claims, “The full human life is now defined sanctified. in terms as seen be to came life’ ‘ordinary which in values of scale bourgeois a progenitorof main the as serving marriage and work of ethic an to rise gave that Puritanism is It animals. from person human the distinguishes lives material their reproduce way.secular a in identity human For waythe Marx, beings human affirmation life. the ordinary of of furthering the to leads Marxism of birth the developments, systematic social these all family.Among nuclear its the the of rise and urbanization and and home, from industrialization workplace of separation as such developments The affirmation of ordinary life complements the image of a of image the complements life ordinary of affirmation The social other by aided is life ordinary of affirmation The also the locusinwhich the next generation isnurtured, sothat the and wife,as companions andlovers,and alsoasparents. And is it space for a full family life. This is central to the fulfillment of the man 77 76 75 74 73 72 inwhich[A] society hasadequate (in principle) everyone private Ibid., 292-293.PHS,254-255. Ibid., 109-207. Ibid.,211. Ibid., 213. SOS, 224-225. PHS, 215. 72 73

axs fcss n rdcin s ioa to pivotal as production on focuses Marxism 75 By emphasizing on the value of work, Taylorwork, of value the on emphasizing By 134 77

7/1/2015 2:30:42 PM 76 74

Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM he 81 Taylor Taylor 79

78 Thus, in Taylor’s words, words, Taylor’s in Thus, 84 135

Despite the complexity and plurality plurality and complexity the Despite 85 80 In discussing the disenchantment of the world, world, the of disenchantment the discussing In The disenchantment of the world subsequently subsequently world the of disenchantment The 82 83 Ibid., ix. Ibid., 305. Ibid., 266. Ibid., 211-302. Ibid., 26 PHS, 262. Ibid., 155 &2 55. SOS, 292-293. 81 82 83 84 85 78 79 80 children in turn will be able to discover and seek their own affinities. affinities. own their seek and discover to able be will turn in children an live to space has ideally not the only family The contemporary the foster to means the but also unhampered, existence unmediated of its children. self-discovery and development However, However, there are also some strands of the modern self Although Although Charles Taylor is describing conceptions of the To To affirm ordinary life is to believe that a significant part of that are ambivalent with one While another. the affirmations of ordinary life, the ideal of authenticity, complementary, and they can also self-fulfillment lead into are opposite directions. For leads to the ‘affirmation of ordinary life.’ ordinary of ‘affirmation the to leads situation the “created culture modern the of disenchantment this in which old horizons been and have swept all away frameworks appear problematical.” may good and the self “which are at home in the modern West”, thinks that this new culture at the beginning of the century nineteenth is radiating ‘outward and downward’ to the rest of the since. ever world Taylor thinks that, “deism did prepare the way Enlightenment.” for the radical people’s sense of what makes life worth living and this, according according this, and living worth life makes what of sense people’s unprecedented. is Taylor, to of the modern self, its various strands unite in the same space. moral is not saying that prior to the spread of the doctrine of affirmation of doctrine the of spread the to prior that saying not is of ordinary life people did not love their children or spouses not that they gained no satisfaction from their work. What changes is not the existence of these things life, ordinary of affirmation the but With imbued. are they which with the ethical importance family relationships and work come to occupy a central place in one’s identity is expressed in the realms of work and family life, and that what happens life. of in meaning or value the these of sense one’s to domains contribution makes a substantial Scentia Inside.indd 135 Scentia Inside.indd 136 Calano ... o n’ fml lf. s alr us t “if y eeomn, or development, my “[i]f long- a evenwith mydiscoveryincompatible myself, be of should it, puts Taylor As life. family one’s to desire for self-fulfillment can lead to the negligence of obligations the and authenticity to call particular the persons, human some academic world. Ibid.,118-119. second reason isthattheisticarguments are generally notwelcome inapredominantly secularist OH: University of Dayton Press, 1996), 13. [Henceforth, this book shallbereferred to as ACM.] The belief-systems. Charles Taylor, ACatholicModernity: AMarianistAward Lecture 1996(Dayton, philosophical discourserequires awidespread appealto allthinkers irrespective oftheirown religious views implicitinhisprevious philosophicalwritingsfor two reasons. Thefirstwas that considerable power to Christianity. in good constitutive according clearly Tayloris this self, modern the to understand to return order to need the on insisting in reason, individualism, societies ultimately find their moral source in Christianity. freedom, of western modern in accepted is valueswhich benevolence, equality,and the that claiming repudiate. even may or acknowledge not do they that constitutivegoods on parasitic are him, to according sources, moral These like. the and nature, with inquiry,scientific roots. Christian from an offshoot is freedom and reason disengaged of ideal the example, For III. HomoReligiosus: forcefully. pluralismTaylor’s interpret I selfhood, of notion modern the in self. ambiguities and differentcomplexities the of examplesfew disengagedthese the of individualism the on building is self. free against disengaged reaction the a as self expressivist Romantic the of analysis Taylor’s is conflicting strands different the of example Another prison, a as rather than a felt locus of identity. be So marriage is to under great strain.” come will this then association, standing Charles Taylor traces the modern moral sources back to theism. 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 In his1996MarianistAward lecture, Charles Taylor argues thathehadkept his Ibid., 495-496&498.` Ibid., 339. Ibid., 310&320. SOS, 245. PHS, 273,276-277,287. PHS, 273,276-277,287. HGL, 22-23&540.PHS,270-271.SOS,390495. Ibid., 283. 89

91 and the Romantic aspiration to make contact make to aspiration Romantic the and 92 87 ute, alr os o h etn of extent the to goes Taylor Further, t h sm tm, h Rmni self Romantic the time, same the At 90 The same is true in the value of value the in true is same The 136 94 AsMichaelMorgan writes: 88 93 From Thus, 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM 86

Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM “The 100 95 However, in A Catholic 97 and in its central promise 96 In this is sense, somehow Taylor 98 137 For him, this emphasis on transcendence means “aiming means transcendence on emphasis this him, For Ibid., 21. Ibid. ACM, 30-37 & 120. ACM, Ibid., 20. SOS, 521. Charles Taylor, “Reply and Articulation” in Philosophy in an Age of in Philosophy and Articulation” “Reply Taylor, SOS, 521. Charles Michael Morgan, “Religion, History, and Moral Discourse” in Philosophy in an Age Discourse” in Philosophy and Moral History, “Religion, Michael Morgan, a model Catholicism as putting forward in he faces accepts the problem clearly Taylor 99 98 99 100 101 97 95 96 [I]f Charles Taylor is right, the complexity of these narratives narratives right,is of these complexity the Taylor [I]f Charles This transformation is “a radical decentering of the self in self the of decentering radical “a is transformation This involves retrieving the religious elements of our identity. of our elements religious the retrieving involves converges on a common conclusion, that the modern identity… cannot cannot identity… modern the that conclusion, a common on converges history. its religious to reference without comprehended be properly necessarily us most to matters and what are we who understand To 101 Charles Taylor attempts to argue for the Christian idea of going going of idea Christian the for argue to attempts Taylor Charles While Morgan affirms the theistic elements of Charles Taylor, 1994), 226-230. aspects do not mean that Christian have nothing more to say. Ibid., 19. Although Christian past Ibid., 19. Although say. to nothing more aspects do not mean that Christian have such from the present liberate to urges Taylor should be repudiated, which wreckage has its own maintains Taylor the past. Ibid., 107-108. Moreover, liberate dismissals and in this way outright modes of spiritual forms, moments with “many past also contains positive negative the that even and service the love that could help [the human person] revivify of common life, devotion, prayer, in trying of the difficulties he faces aware then, is well Ibid., 108. Taylor, of God in the present. he is absolutely however, position within a Catholic framework; a transcendent put forward to humanity. for is’ is essential ‘what think beyond to that attempting convinced Press, (ed.) (Cambridge: Cambridge University in Question, J. Tully Taylor Charles Pluralism: for a better world. For example, he realizes that Christianity and Catholicism have resulted in resulted that Christianity and Catholicism have he realizes example, For world. a better for replace tried to have that secular philosophies that such as the Inquisition but counters atrocities worse. been much cases have and in many results better led to scarcely have Christian faith Christianity has been that where argues Taylor of Christianity, 17-18. Hence, in his defense ACM, and ‘liberating’. himself should see this as both ‘humbling’ undermined in the past Christians like side of Christian beliefs. the dark show of secularists who Ibid., 18.the humbling aspect is a result the truth in such a criticism recognizing Taylor in Christians like aspect originates The liberating Christian past aspects of the with the negative conclusions. The problem appropriate and drawing that such negative argues Catholicism. Taylor discussions of modern positive is that it stifles any subject to a nonwestern subject, it is a change from self to non- self.” Press, (ed.) (Cambridge: Cambridge University in Question, J. Tully Taylor Charles of Pluralism: 1994), 49. beyond beyond life by arguing that life does not things”. exhaust the “point of beyond life or opening yourself to a change in identity.” western modern a from change cultural mere a not is here change Modernity, Charles Taylor contends that the modern emphasis on on emphasis modern that the contends Taylor Charles Modernity, God’s emulate to desire the on grounded is benevolence universal divine and unconditional love. the of conclusion the in way explicit more a in ideas his expressing of the Self. Sources the Sources of the Self is hoping implicitly only for a better world in the Judaeo-Christian theism, of a divine affirmation of the human. Scentia Inside.indd 137 Scentia Inside.indd 138 Calano ... and distinct. Toclear acknowledgetodistinct. transcendentis and the acknowledge wills potential many God’s make to is religion of role The flourish.”beings human let to reducedoesn’t done’ be will ‘thy relation with God.” get beyond thenarrow focus onthe‘exclusively human’.] which couldappealto allpeople,notjustChristians, inindicatinghow thehumanrace needsto is both‘abstract’ and‘evasive’, butheusestheterm becausehewanted to say somethinggeneral capture exactly what hewants to say. Ibid.,105-106.Herecognizes thattheaforementioned term ends. Heactually admitshisdiscomfort in usingtheterm ‘transcendence’ asitdoesnotquite is sensitive to thetendency oftheterm ‘transcendence’ to leadto theologicalandspiritual dead flourishing ontheonehandandgoingbeyond life ontheother. [Ibid.,109-110.Charles Taylor to avoid suchdualismandsuggeststhatwe move backandforth thesetwo momentsofhuman can leadto akindofdualismwhere suchoppositionshave beenusedto deny life. Heclearly wants life matters.”[Ibid., 24.]Taylor’s emphasisonbothhumanflourishing,andspiritualtranscendence of hisconcernto reassert theimportanceoftranscendence inemphasizing that“more than the transcendent andinstead focuses solely onhumanflourishinginthepresent [Ibid.,19.],and good emerged. modern the which from life ordinary of affirmation the identity; modern the of movement fourth the prosperity,”inspired foster Agape, expressed in the concern to “increase life, relieve suffering, Taylor.to according exists already This life. human of flourishing He explains: of humanlife. flourishing the is will God’s upholding favorof in welfare human promoting of ideal believer,Taylorthe the With God. of will the Agape is reached by embracing God’s will and affirming the affirming and will God’s embracing by reached is Agape but beneficence. With the internalization of ethical thought, where thought, ethical of internalization the With beneficence. but our dealingwith others isnow no longer justjustice andtemperance successor ethics,with e.g. Bacon andLocke.in Theprincipalvirtue gooddoing forpeople, iscarried thein on various semi-secularized toought befor the general good. This insistence onpractical help, on new way into anethic existence.everyday of My work ismy calling karuna (compassion). world,theopens also but flood-gates mettaof (loving kindness) and the from you to turn just doesn’t enlightenment terms, Buddhist In agape. called biblically is which flourishing, this of affirmation an God, God’s will is that humans flourish, and so you are taken back to 106 105 104 103 102 a in integrated is agape life, ordinary of affirmation the With terms,Christian In renunciation if decenters you relation in with Ibid., 19 Ibid., 18. Charles Taylor speaks ofa“spirituallobotomy,” which deniesany consideration of Ibid. Ibid. 104 106

Taylor explains thisrelationship further: 102 For Taylor, “God wills human flourishing, but 105

138 103 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM

Charles Taylor and the Modern.... 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM The

111 110 109 139

as more fecund than the humanist’s universal 107 108 Ibid., 516. SOS, 258 Ibid., 517. 14-15. ACM, SOS, 390, 495, 498. 107 108 109 110 111 inclinations are crucial, the motive of benevolence becomes the key key the becomes benevolence of motive the crucial, are inclinations goodness. to The modern self is a unity in diversity. This is clearly manifested manifested clearly is This diversity. in unity a is self modern The In all hopes this that Taylor uncovering the complexity of the Charles Taylor looks at the Christian notion of agape, the “love “love the agape, of notion Christian the at looks Taylor Charles of both the natural world and the non-rational parts of the self. At the same its time, live and articulate to quest its and this self the of powers expressive individualist frontier encompasses the a The reaction to own latter the authenticity. is, ideal however, of the larger order beyond, and the third is the traditional theistic one. Taylor thinks that identifying these three horizons the allows contemporary person to understand the changing notion of the self from the scientific revolution to the present day. first horizon focuses on the self and its capabilities. the It includes self’s desire to disengagement and to instrumental control in the different strands that comprise the self and that are mutually mutually are that and self the comprise that strands different the in In reinforcing. the Sources of the Self, I read that Charles Taylor’s analysis of the modern self is divided into three broad horizons of identity. The first centers the individual, the second points to theistic. This is evident in the idea that “human diversity is part of part is diversity “human that idea the in evident is This theistic. [humanity is] made in the image of God.” in which the way Conclusion: IV. modern self, and its different strands will free people from tendency the to deny and stifle the plurality of goods selves that if effectively, modern not always knowingly, affirm. Taylor shares with Nietzsche a powerful awareness complexity of of the modern self, the but it multiplicity seems that for and the former, the template for thinking about humans as intrinsically plural is that God has for humans which is connected with their goodness as creatures” wondered Taylor agape, of absence the In justice. and benevolence means.” [their] moral beyond “living humans are whether Scentia Inside.indd 139 Scentia Inside.indd 140 Calano ... that refuses submissionto anything that attempts to imposeitselfheteronomously autonomous, self-legislating,self-related subjectandtheinsistence uponadoctrineofimmanence embrace,” and way of life are good, and constitute “something that [he has] to history. in recorded ever than civilization” our of standards’ culture moral “the ‘higher into built has culture modern the that recognize of Hisgoodnessandlove created it. expressionan as God because good is Nature horizon. second the rational the to whyapplies same dignity.The human is to related closely is This capacity God. by given capacity a deploying is us.” in God of more,image theyareplan; the whatconstitutes God’s of part and God-made are will and reason human of powers awesome “The to prove the possibility of rational control over nature and the self. scientific revolution is of theistic origins. Reason is given emphasis remains that the disengaged and punctual self that grew argument Taylor’sout of the one. theistic the is which identity, of third horizon the on overlap both they hand, other the on world, wider indifference. and selfishness in manifested only not is individualism modern larger whole. the to relation in autonomy,but an as longer no powers, its and inward an turn. outward and make can person human the if wider only the possible with is Contact vista good. of source a is nature that whole notion a Romantic is the in world manifested also is the This entities. that particular with sentiments, moral of theory the similar is to idea The part. a is person human the which of whole they center ontheindividual. disengaged freedom. What unites the former and the latter is that On the other hand, Charles Taylor suggests the right attitude right the Taylorsuggests Charles hand, other the On individual modern the that insists Taylor hand, one On the intersectpowers,with hand, its one and on self the as Just wider the as nature to refers identity of horizon second The 118 117 116 115 114 113 112 117 Ibid., 347. SOS, 397 Ibid., 315. Ibid., 35&40-41. TEA, 91. SOS, 314-315. Indeed, Charles Davis identifiesmodernityprecisely ofan with“theaffirmation A modern person must accept that his inherited values 118 even if his notion of ‘good’ is historically conditioned. 115 114 116

The possibility of this explains Taylor’s claim that n xriig esn te ieggd subject disengaged the reason, exercising In 113 The inward turn gives emphasis on the self the on givesemphasis inwardturn The 112

140 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM Charles Taylor and the Modern....

7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM 121 This is 119 141 Taylor writes: Taylor “[The way people live] 120 Ibid., 37-40 & 495-521. Ibid., 45. Ibid., 520. 119 120 121 has a “craving for being in contact with or being in rightly relation placed to most the and good.” deepest the of some to us in response the stifling involves conceived.” that humans have spiritual aspirations powerful conception conception of the self. person develops his inner nature and And explores his potentialities. from Romanticism, The result is an the atomic conception of the self that is modern cut off from the wider sources of meaning and moral significance. unfair, according to Charles because Taylor, the human person towards disenchantment by recounting the inadequacy of modern modern of inadequacy the recounting by disenchantment towards the as modernity of vision the from inadequacy the sees He values. offspring of the Enlightenment and Romantic movements. From the Enlightenment, the modern person acquires the atomized Scentia Inside.indd 141 Scentia Inside.indd 142 Calano ... Calano, Mark Joseph. Taylor, Charles. Taylor, Charles. Taylor, Charles. .Cam I Papers Philosophical Language: and Agency Human Taylor, Charles. Taylor, Charles. Hegel.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity Press, 1983. Taylor, Charles. A Taylor, Charles. Taylor,Charles. Taylor, Charles. Taylor,Charles. Taylor, Charles. Michael. Morgan, MacIntyre, Alasdair. Davis,Charles.

preterand Interpreted 1992. bridge: Harvard University Press, 1989. versity Press, 1985. bridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, 1985. OH: University ofDayton Press, 1996. versity Press, 1994. Uni Cambridge Cambridge: (ed.). Tully J. Question, Taylorin Charles 1997). and SocialChange phy ofHistory andAction Y. Yovel (ed.).Dordrecht: Reidel, 1978. Cambridge University Press, 1994. TaylorPluralism:Charles of Age Tully.Cambridge: J. (ed.) Question, in versity Press, 2007. ology Association ofthe Philippines (January 1990). (January “Our Modern Identity: The Formation of the Self” inModernThe TheFormation“Our ModernIdentity: the of Self” Philosophy andtheHuman Sciences The EthicsThe Authenticity.of Sourcesthe of Self:theof TheMaking Identity.Modern “Reply to Baybrooke andDeSousa” “Comments andReplies” “Comments on Ricoeur’s History and Hermeneutics” and History Ricoeur’s on “Comments “Reply andArticulation” Iett ad oent” n wnyfv yas Sca Science Social years: Twenty-five in Modernity” and “Identity Catholic Modernity: “Religion, History, andMoral Discourse” AfterStudyA Virtue: Moralin Theory. Charles Taylor onSelf-Interpretation: UnderstandingInter (Princeton: Institute for AdvancedforInstitute (Princeton:Study, May8-11, BIBLIOGRAPHY , in Suri: The Official Journal of the Philosophical the of Journal Official The Suri: in A Marianist Award Lecture 1996. Dayton, (1:1, 2012):72-90. 142 inInquiry34(1991). in Philosophy in an Age of Pluralism: of Age an in Philosophy in Cambridge: Harvard University Press, . Cambridge: Cambridge Uni in Dialogue(Winter 1994). Indiana: Indiana Uni in Philosophy in an in Philosophy in in Philoso in Cam 7/1/2015 2:30:43 PM ------