Charles Taylor on modern identity

Abstract

This work provides an overview of the modem identity according to Charles Taylor. First, the nature of modernity and its beginnings are discussed. Next, Taylor's methodology is reviewed and his way of explaining modernity is applied to his discussion of the malaise of modernity. Then, Taylor's view of selfhood is outlined. Following this, the self in moral space and Taylor's moral thought is considered. Lastly, his view of transcendence in modernity is briefly discussed. This work contributes to a clearer understanding of Taylor's thought in this area, bringing to the fore the importance of modernity's rightly-understood, retrieved ideals and moral horizons.