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How modernism changed the world essay
Modernism in the early 20th century
Modernism in the early 20th century
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Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve: How the World Became Modern is about the controversial poem On the Nature of Things by Lucretius, which was written in first century BC. The book tells of the poem’s loss in the Dark Ages and later rediscovered during the Renaissance. The title, “The Swerve” comes from Lucretius description of the unpredictable movements by which particles collide and take on new forms. The rediscovery of Lucretius poem, it is suggested, was a kind of "swerve" which helped to create the new social norms for the Renaissance. The poem by Lucretius promoted new ways of thinking that early medieval church leaders found threatening to their cause, for which the leaders banned the work and many of the copies did not endure the Dark Ages.
In early 15th century Western Europe was just starting to recover from epidemics, famine, and feuds that lasted centuries. The city-states of Italy were beginning to look back to the classic Greek and Roman civilizations to re-study old scrolls and
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Both of these skills made him suited for his role as apostolic secretary, transcribing the official decrees for the succession of popes. Bracciolini was not a Christian believer but rather a rational humanist; his passion was the poetry, literature and philosophy that had vanished with ancient Rome. He belonged to a circle of early Renaissance book-hunters who traveled across Europe looking for books in monasteries hoping to copy and re-distribute the forgotten works of literature. In 1417, he discovered the last surviving manuscript of On the Nature of Things, by Roman poet Lucretius, in a German monastery; Greenblatt’s phrase that described the impact of this find is “the world swerved in a new direction.” The discovery of the text renewed poem’s life and revived its influence to the
... of now and then and to see how things have changed and what things have remained the same. Also another intriguing topic was that of religion and its practices. This section displayed many different viewpoints and illuminated to me that in any period different beliefs on religion and its practice and different interpretations of them can be seen. As previously stated another aspect of this book that I appreciate is that it gave me an understanding of our studies of the Mediterranean and it was helpful to see real life examples and testimonies of individuals who lived through it.
Through this essay I plan to analyse 3 short stories from Tim Winton’s book ‘The Turning’. The 3 short stories I have chosen are long, clear view, Immunity and damaged goods, through these short stories I will be focusing on the themes for each of them and seeing if these stories in some way link together through theme or story.
Wolf, A. A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Vol. 2. New York: Harper, 1959.
Rules and catalysts have become ubiquitous, diminishing or even eradicating opportunities for the exercise of discretion, which is fundamental to the advancement of good judgment as well as personal satisfaction. Modern philosophy and culture has shifted away from phronesis, practical judgment, in favor of techne, technical rationality. The fundamental threat that technology imposes on us is linked to our inability to think and act “outside the box.” David Tabachnick, a professor in the department of Political Science, Philosophy and Economics at Nipissing University, attempts to find and enforce limits on technology in his book, The Great Reversal, by exploring “the possibility of the return of good judgment to limit the role of technology
Richard Hofstadter's The Age of Reform In 1955, Richard Hofstadter wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning book The Age of Reform, about the Gilded Age. Hofstadter’s arguments about the Populist and Progressive movements and their origins started debate and renewed scholarship on the Populist and Progressive movements. Many historians did not agree with Hofstadter’s arguments and published their own papers stating their conclusions based on their own research.
Technology is something that seems to be on everyone’s mind in today’s society. Does it really help? When it comes to medicine, there have been huge medical advances with help from technology, saving thousands of lives all over the world. Our society has been forever changed with the introduction of the smartphone; getting movies, music and news faster than ever before. But what about education? Does technology go too far and interfere with the learning process, and relationship between professor and student? Smartboards, laptops, tablets and smartphones are becoming more and more frequent in today’s classrooms. It helps teachers engage the students in their work, and it caters to different types of learning between students. However, our progress
Two time capsules were found during renovations of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence. One time capsule dates back to the Renaissance time period. Artifacts in this time capsule included a painting of The Birth of Venus, a lute, drawing of the Florence Cathedral’s dome, and a book called The Decameron. The second time capsule had artifacts from the Baroque time period. Artifacts in this time capsule included a painting of The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, a stage painting in an opera house, canvas painting of St. Petersburg, and a play called Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme These artifacts give us a glimpse of world events, and cultural patterns in the Renaissance and Baroque time period.
In this period, there are the bases for the creation of a new movement that will culminate during the 14th century. This particular view is enclosed in a sub-movement called humanism: humanists encouraged to put in the centre of the universe the man. The man is the main centre of the universe and of the thoughts. In this period intellectuals obtained answers in the works of the ancient classics, they embraced the classic culture, especially the ancient Greek culture, leading to the birth of a new science: The Philology, whose main learner was Lorenzo Valla. Classic themes are the inspiration for the artists: from poets to painters, they are all under this influence.
...ced by permission of." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. World History in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
“In the middle ages, Europe knew less about the earth than did some of the ancients, for the commercial decline of Rome brought about the contraction of geographical knowledge.” [Pohl 6]. During this time period, men began to disregard authority and learned to rely directly on their own investigations. This is the seed that brought about men like Columbus and Vespucci. The period of the Renaissance is the fertile ground that brought about changes in the world of inquiry and scientific achievement in Europe. “This new spirit of inquiry received its chief impetus from the invention of the printing press whose importance outweighed even the greatest political event of the time.”[Pohl 9]. Printing led to the overthrow of authority and allowed the men of the period to come into immediate contact with each ...
Spielvogel, Jackson J. “Chapter 21: Reaction, Revolution, and Romanticism, 1815-1850.” In Western Civilization Volume II: Since 1500, 632-664. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2009. Print.
There are many terms used to describe the period after the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance, three main terms being the Middle, Medieval, and Dark Ages. In general, these terms are used interchangeably, but are these fair substitutions? In recent years the term “Dark Ages” is becoming less and less acceptable as a phrase which describes the span of years it is meant to refer to. The use of the term “dark” implies a period of stagnation, which is becoming a questionable concept. In particular, the span of time referred to in this paper is 530-1452 BCE, with specific attention paid to the scientific discoveries and innovations rather than art or literature. These dates are significant because in 529 the Academy and Lyceum in Athens were shutdown by the Byzantine emperor, thus ending the Greek intellectual influence. The date of 1453 is chosen because many Greek texts arrived in Europe in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, thereby reviving the struggling European scientific fields (Bunch 93). This essay will show that the medieval period was not a so-called “dark age” because of scientific innovation in the Islamic world, and is only referred to as such because of the popular bias in the West of focusing on Europe. In order to make this clear, firstly, two objections to this proposition will be analyzed and clearly refuted. Following these counter arguments, the main weight of historical facts and events in the identification and explanation of Islamic scientific innovation will be presented, showing the inaccuracy of referring to the medieval period as dark. Finally, I will show that the misleading perception of the medieval era as stagnant is due to the modern bias for the superiority of Western...
During the fourteenth century, the Renaissance was notable for its development from medieval life and values dominated by the Church toward the abstract ethics of civilization. Instead of the perception stressed by religion that emphasized preparation for the after life, the enlightened citizens of the middle class, became interested in individuals success and emphasized life in this world, rather than the afterlife in which the Catholic church emphasized. This encouraged individuals to surmount in a wide variety of grounds portraying their knowledge because of their strong beliefs in all aspects ranging from art, politics, and personal life. Renaissance thinkers were inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans instead of medieval life because it was portrayed as undeveloped. The textbook a History in The Making discusses these changes and writes, “A new understanding of the motions of heavens and of mechanic on the earth developed among experimenters in natural philosophy, that is, what came to be called science” (484). This portrayed how the scientific revolution changed and impacted attitudes within Europe in regards to Science and knowledge. The Secularization tainted the traditional scientific method of truth and search for non religious foundations, emphasizing the new doors that had been opened for this
Rice, Eugene E. and Anthony Grafton. The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460-1559. 2nd. ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1994.