The Invention of the Self: Personal Identity in the Age of Art In his groundbreaking book, The Invention of the Self: Personal Identity in the Age of Art, Andrew Spira offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of personal identity, exploring how our understanding of ourselves has changed over the centuries. By examining the unconscious traces of the self-sense left in the fabric of our environment, Spira provides an "anthropology of personal identity in the West" that bridges the gap between cultural history and philosophy. This comprehensive work covers a millennium of Western European cultural history, tracing the development of the self-sense from its origins in the collective medieval Church to its consummation in the individualistic concept of artistic genius in the nineteenth century. From the Medieval Church to Individualistic Artistic Genius Beginning with the medieval period, Spira delves into the early roots of personal identity, revealing how the collective Church shaped our understanding of self. He demonstrates how the self-sense emerged from the communal context of religious life, with the individual's sense of self-awareness developing alongside the growth of Christianity.

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