I want to suggest that contemporary notions of individuality and self-assertion have been, to some extent, significantly influenced by the thinking of the 18th-century Genevan political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Although a committed Christian, Rousseau nursed an understanding of the inner self which clearly resonates with the rise in the 21st century of secularized accounts of the person and the prevalence of ‘identity politics.’ I argue these are frequently contextualized within the demand for equality and have morphed into strategies of protection, witnessed most glaringly in the promotion of ‘safe spaces,’ especially in modern universities. While in some respects these developments are to be lauded, since they are located in moral strivings for justice, I argue that a too obsessive focus on the individual self can result in harmful consequences. Biblical writers, Desert Christians and contemporary ascetics know this and have something important to teach in this regard. Their emphasis on the formation of identity, based on scriptural reasoning and historical tradition, imbibed in the body, promotes collective subjectivity and saves the person from descending into introverted, aggrieved individualism, which, ironically, makes the fight for social justice less effective.

中文翻译：

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自我主张、“无知的乡下人”和“（非）安全空间”的体验

我想指出，当代的个性和自我主张的观念在某种程度上受到了 18 世纪日内瓦政治哲学家让-雅克·卢梭思想的重大影响。尽管卢梭是一名虔诚的基督徒，但他对内在自我的理解与 21 世纪世俗化个人描述的兴起和“身份政治”的盛行产生了明显的共鸣。我认为这些经常被置于平等需求的背景下，并已演变为保护策略，最明显地体现在促进“安全空间”，尤其是在现代大学中。虽然在某些方面这些发展值得称赞，因为它们位于追求正义的道德斗争中，我认为，过分关注个人自我会导致有害的后果。圣经作者、沙漠基督徒和当代苦行者都知道这一点，并且在这方面有重要的教导。他们强调身份的形成，基于圣经推理和历史传统，吸收到身体中，促进集体主观性，并使人免于陷入内向、受屈的个人主义，具有讽刺意味的是，这使争取社会正义的斗争变得不那么有效。