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Makers of the Modern Mind: A Guide to the Thinkers Who Formed the Modern Left
Modern Western thought has been shaped by a lineage of ideas extending from the Enlightenment to contemporary critical theory. In Makers of the Modern Mind, Jordan B. Cooper traces this intellectual genealogy through an accessible yet thorough overview of the figures whose work has defined the philosophical and cultural foundations of the modern Left.
Beginning with the central questions of modernity in Descartes, Hume, and Kant, moving through the birth of Liberalism in Hobbes and Locke, and tracing the rise of historicism in Hegel and its transformation into socialism by Marx and Engels, Cooper unfolds the intellectual story that culminates in twentieth-century and contemporary thinkers such as Foucault, Derrida, Butler, and Crenshaw. Each chapter distills complex arguments into accessible terms, showing how the modern Left’s understanding of reason, morality, human nature, and power developed over time.
Written from a conservative perspective but without strong polemic, Makers of the Modern Mind invites readers to understand before they critique, to see how ideas evolve, interconnect, and shape the culture we inhabit today. It is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the intellectual roots of the twenty-first-century Western academy.
Beginning with the central questions of modernity in Descartes, Hume, and Kant, moving through the birth of Liberalism in Hobbes and Locke, and tracing the rise of historicism in Hegel and its transformation into socialism by Marx and Engels, Cooper unfolds the intellectual story that culminates in twentieth-century and contemporary thinkers such as Foucault, Derrida, Butler, and Crenshaw. Each chapter distills complex arguments into accessible terms, showing how the modern Left’s understanding of reason, morality, human nature, and power developed over time.
Written from a conservative perspective but without strong polemic, Makers of the Modern Mind invites readers to understand before they critique, to see how ideas evolve, interconnect, and shape the culture we inhabit today. It is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the intellectual roots of the twenty-first-century Western academy.
460 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 10, 2026
It seems I am the first person to review Dr. Cooper's latest publication on Goodreads, so I feel motivated to write my review for whatever it is worth.
I have been following Cooper's work online for a handful of years by now, as well as read a few of his other books, and he has certainly influenced my character and beliefs. In Makers of the Modern Mind, Cooper outlines in good detail a few dozen of the most important figures on cultural discourse since the 17th century. Overall, his approach is honest, with few criticisms when deemed appropriate by the author, and what it seemed to me as a genuine charitable writing of the authors whom he clearly disagrees with. On multiple occasions, he reiterates and praises much of the criticism and analysis of the thinkers, which I appreciated, but they arrive in very different conclusions due to different philosophical starting points.
The only chapter that I would say was below the rest of the book was the last one on gender and philosophy, as it felt very simplified and rushed, but as the author says himself, this could be a whole book in itself. I also think it would have been relevant for the discussion to include a chapter on Existentialism, Nietzsche, and Sartre, as existentialist authors are often cited in the later chapters, but no thorough discussion of their influences is included.
From my lay perspective, it seemed a faithful description and explanation of the beliefs of the authors mentioned, with very few inaccuracies, if any. The brief conclusion is spot on! There is also very clear growth from one of Cooper’s older works that I have read “In Defense of the True, the Good and the Beautiful” to this newer publication, which felt much more thorough and much better researched than the previous work.
There are also a few printing issues on the edition, but I'll overlook them since it's a small publisher which the author is also the president of.
I'm just a rare 5 star guy, but this book is pretty excellent.
I have been following Cooper's work online for a handful of years by now, as well as read a few of his other books, and he has certainly influenced my character and beliefs. In Makers of the Modern Mind, Cooper outlines in good detail a few dozen of the most important figures on cultural discourse since the 17th century. Overall, his approach is honest, with few criticisms when deemed appropriate by the author, and what it seemed to me as a genuine charitable writing of the authors whom he clearly disagrees with. On multiple occasions, he reiterates and praises much of the criticism and analysis of the thinkers, which I appreciated, but they arrive in very different conclusions due to different philosophical starting points.
The only chapter that I would say was below the rest of the book was the last one on gender and philosophy, as it felt very simplified and rushed, but as the author says himself, this could be a whole book in itself. I also think it would have been relevant for the discussion to include a chapter on Existentialism, Nietzsche, and Sartre, as existentialist authors are often cited in the later chapters, but no thorough discussion of their influences is included.
From my lay perspective, it seemed a faithful description and explanation of the beliefs of the authors mentioned, with very few inaccuracies, if any. The brief conclusion is spot on! There is also very clear growth from one of Cooper’s older works that I have read “In Defense of the True, the Good and the Beautiful” to this newer publication, which felt much more thorough and much better researched than the previous work.
There are also a few printing issues on the edition, but I'll overlook them since it's a small publisher which the author is also the president of.
I'm just a rare 5 star guy, but this book is pretty excellent.
August 30, 2026
In this monograph, Dr. Cooper expertly traces the currents that dominate much of the discourse in modern academic philosophy and the influence that these ideas have had in political discourse regarding anthropology, gender, and race. While some of the figures discussed earlier in the book have their views simplified in a way that robs much of the nuance from their arguments, it is this very simplicity that makes this book so easy to recommend to beginners in philosophy. While experts in postmodern philosophy may fail to gather much from this book, its simplicity makes it a perfect introductory text for students of philosophy first studying the Marxist-influenced thinkers that span the majority of this book.
August 9, 2026
As someone who knows nothing about philosophy and read this with the purpose of getting my feet wet, this book did its job. It’s written well with impressive vocabulary in and easy to understand format. The conclusion was a good way to end a book like this.
This book really helped me see how generations have influenced where our world is today.
I only wish the chapter pages were better formatted.
This book really helped me see how generations have influenced where our world is today.
I only wish the chapter pages were better formatted.
June 2, 2026
Alright as a broad overview
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews