Know What You Believe with Michael Horton Why the Modern World Is at War with Human Nature
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Apr 7, 2026 
Carl Trueman, professor and author exploring modernity and the self. He traces the intellectual arc from the Renaissance to today. They discuss self-deification, how secular culture remains deeply spiritual, the influence of Hermeticism and thinkers like Nietzsche, and practical paths of consecration through creed, cult, and code.
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Nietzsche Exposes Modernity’s Consequence
- Nietzsche crystallized modernity’s logical consequence: removing God changes humanity itself and invites transcendence of human limits.
- Carl Trueman references the madman scene from The Gay Science to show the timing of that revelation.
Hermeticism Fused Magic With Early Science
- Hermeticism revived a practical spiritual program merging magic, technology, and theology that influenced Renaissance science.
- Michael Horton notes Ficino’s translation of the Corpus Hermeticum and Isaac Newton’s alchemical interests as examples.
Mobility Shifted Identity To The Inner Self
- Social mobility and technological change shifted identity from family/location to inner self, making authenticity and transgression central virtues.
- Carl Trueman explains surnames, mobility, and modern emphasis on decisions as self-definition.
