What central religious and intellectual problem does Sartor Resartus explore?

Sartor Resartus explores the central problem that the traditional intellectual and religious forms, which have historically housed humanity's deepest convictions, have become "dead" or obsolete in the modern age.1

Set against a backdrop of rapid industrialization and what Thomas Carlyle termed an age of "mechanism," the work argues that society must discover new spiritual and intellectual systems to replace those that no longer resonate. While the text—presented as a humorous, philosophical treatise on the symbolism of clothes—identifies this necessity, it acknowledges that the specific content of such a new religious system remains elusive.12

The book also reflects Carlyle’s own intense spiritual struggles and his search for meaning during a period of personal doubt, mirroring the broader Victorian tension between traditional faith and the rising influence of empirical science and utilitarian philosophy.23