The following comparisons form the basis for discussion in chapter 2 and 3 in The Death of Truth.
| Subject | Modernism | Postmodernism | Biblical (theism) |
| Human Nature | Humans are, purely material machines. We live in a purely physical world. Nothing exists beyond what our senses perceive. | No opinion on this issue, but suspicious of such dogmatic claims to knowledge. | Humans are the only beings on earth created in the image of God. They are spiritual and material. |
| Free Will (autonomy) | Humans are self-governing and free to choose their own direction | People are the product of their culture and only imagine they are self-governing. | Human free will has been drastically diminished by a moral fall from grace, but they are still responsible for the use of their remaining free will. People's desire to be autonomousis sinful--we were created to depend on God. |
| View of Reason | People should be "rationalistic optimists." They should depend only on the data of their senses and reason. | There is no such thing as objective rationality (i.e., reason unaffected by bias) in the sense modernists use the term. Rationalism is a myth. | Reason is necessary but not sufficient for understanding reality. Reason can disclose truth about reality, but faith and revelation are needed in addition. |
| View of Progress | Humankind is progressing by using science and reason. | "Progress" is a code word used by modernists to justify the domination by European culture of other cultures. | Humans aren't progressing toward any glorious future. However, advances which relieve suffering and prolong life are good. |