Who are we? Do we really know who we are? This book questions who we are, and how we should live in a way that is authentic and faithful to ourselves. "The good life is what each individual seeks" and because of this, individualism, authenticity and modernity cause people to live in a way that is self-fulfilling. .
The Malaise of Modernity deals with three malaises or distresses. They are related to the loss of meaning, instrumental reason and the loss of freedom. The first malaise is the fear of losing meaning or the rise of individualism. People have the right to choose for themselves and they "no longer have a sense of a higher purpose, of something worth dying for" because democratic equality has drawn them closer to themselves. In the past, society was protected in a way that satisfied the status quo. Now, "we live in a world where people have the right to choose for themselves their own pattern of life". Because of this, people know how good our regime is now and don't want to go back to the way it was when hierarchies controlled it. .
The second malaise is related to instrumental reason. Instrumental reasoning obscures true meaning, and "rational decisions are made on the basis of economic efficiency". This means that our rationality is based on what will bring us the most success in an economical driven society. Taylor, also, argues that people are controlled by "an inner sense of the right thing to do, and an external answer dictated by instrumental reason". .
Finally, the third distress is one related to a loss of freedom. "A society structured around instrumental reason can be seen as imposing a great loss of freedom". There is a loss of freedom because the technological society takes over and restricts our choices. Instead of doing the dishes after dinner as a family, the dishwasher does its job while the family goes to watch TV. This is highly destructive because there is no room for the family to become more united as a community through talking.
The authors use language to create a sense of malaise, and unease. ... For example: "Dark flat wilderness" This phrase implies discomfort, unease and a general feeling of malaise. ... The new adopting direct speech shakes us from the malaise, which shocks the reader, as much as it does the infant Pip. ...
