Medieval philosophies had a tremendous impact on both political and social life for many centuries that followed. The 15th century marked the end of the Medieval era and gave rise to a time period known as modernity. Modernity was coined by the famous philosophical thinker Charles Baudelaire; he depicted this time in history as a shift from feudalism to capitalism and the influence of secularization and industrialization. Modernity was truly seen as a major breakthrough from post medieval society into a new and evolving culture.
Modernity can be seen as a breakthrough from the medieval culture in many distinct ways. One of the greatest inspirations for a new way in politics came from the thoughts of the great historian and philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. He proposed that instead of analyzing the way things should or shouldn't be as was practiced during medieval times they should focus on the present issues. For example, this would allow politicians to make immediate changes benefiting common people, rather than placing so much importance on the long term picture. Another viewpoint that Machiavelli felt was important included the notion that all humans should seek to control their own future to the extent possible instead of relying solely upon the government to provide for them. Interestingly, this topic is extremely prevalent in modern day society where a recent Fox News Poll states that 74 percent of Americans are too reliant upon the government for assistance. Lastly, “Machiavelli argued, that violent divisions within political communities are unavoidable, but can also be a source of strength which law-makers and leaders should account for and even encourage in some ways” (Strauss 1987).
Another famous philosophi...
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...ecularization. Although many breakthroughs occurred during the era of modernity many things remained constant such as the continual creation of universities around the globe along with the creation of representative based governments. For many scholars the era of modernity can perhaps be seen as one of the greatest periods of change in all of recorded human history. Without question, it can be characterized as a time of significant evolution for mankind.
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"Fox News Poll: 74 Percent Say Americans Too Dependent on the Government." Fox News. FOX News Network, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
Graham, Gordon. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
"The Rise of Capitalism." World Socialist Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
The beginning of individualism’s gradual evolution was first manifested in the Renaissance Era. The Renaissance was a ripe time ready for change. The weakening role of the Catholic Church led to an increase in power for the masses. Corruption plagued Church officials and many sought theological respite elsewhere. The reemphasis of ancient Greek and Roman texts proffered alternatives for many to satisfy their religious needs. This helped contribute to the abolishment of the Church’s imposition of its absolute truth and its claim to ultimate authority. As the church lost power, so did the political units. The bonds between church and state began to erode. Feudalism declined, hence giving rise to new political opportunity. The noble class no longer held a monopoly on the valued positions in society. Rather, one was able to pursue wealth and fame through various endeavors ranging from artist to soldier.
In an earlier century, Niccoló Machiavelli, wrote a document called, “The Prince.” This book was about what it takes to be a successful ruler, and the number one rule of course was: “Power is Everything.” How you acquire the power made no difference as long as you had it. Many people repulsed Machiavelli’s idea of power at all costs, but it would soon be the basis of the government in some countries.
A longstanding debate in human history is what to do with power and what is the best way to rule. Who should have power, how should one rule, and what its purpose should government serve have always been questions at the fore in civilization, and more than once have sparked controversy and conflict. The essential elements of rule have placed the human need for order and structure against the human desire for freedom, and compromising between the two has never been easy. It is a question that is still considered and argued to this day. However, the argument has not rested solely with military powers or politicians, but philosophers as well. Two prominent voices in this debate are Plato and Machiavelli, both of whom had very different ideas of government's role in the lives of its people. For Plato, the essential service of government is to allow its citizens to live in their proper places and to do the things that they are best at. In short, Plato's government reinforces the need for order while giving the illusion of freedom. On the other hand, Machiavelli proposes that government's primary concern is to remain intact, thereby preserving stability for the people who live under it. The feature that both philosophers share is that they attempt to compromise between stability and freedom, and in the process admit that neither can be totally had.
...le, which brought modernity; people started having doubts about God and stared seeing themselves as subjects and givers of meaning to themselves and the objects surrounding them thus bringing this essay to an end.
Machiavelli’s views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity, when a state is in need of its citizens, there are few to be found.” In his writings in The Prince, he constantly questioned the citizens’ loyalty and warned for the leaders to be wary in trusting citizens. His radical and distrusting thoughts on human nature were derived out of concern for Italy’s then unstable government. Machiavelli also had a s...
In the year of 1348 the black death (a.k.a Plague) arrived in England. Everyone dying left and right it was a major disaster. people in the middle ages were confused and scared or what was going on and curious to why this is happening. Nearly half of the population was dead cause by the black death. However after this world wide catastrophe along came the Renaissance. In my opinion the Renaissance is a pick up from what had happen early ( Black Death). However there have their similarities and differences for examples in the Middles Ages God was control to peoples live and the Renaissance did not apply to that. Furthermore the Renaissance they had invention creativity. Finally both The Middle ages and The Renaissance was Art Architecture.
(n.d.). SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/rousseau/section2.rhtml SparkNotes: René Descartes (1596–1650). (n.d.).
... from this time era. Humanity learned a lot from this period in time. This was known as the period of learning due to all the medical breakthroughs and other scientific discoveries that were developed during this time.
In the early 20th century, modernist writers broke free of the consistent pattern on the themes of religion, marriage, and family values, branching out with their actual opinions and observations on society, making more readers aware of the corruption of the traditional morality in America. It became evident that the American people were placing lust, wealth, and material prosperity over their marital vows and traditional values. This idea of amorality is noticeably identified in the literary works, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Major characters in both novels show signs of demoralization, in regards to Tom Buchanan, for example, whom openly cheated on his wife, broke the nose of his mistress, and sold Gatsby’s fate down the river, and Abigail, whom slept with a married man and killed an entire village in spite of the deteriorated affair. In this new, cutting-edge society the concept of materialism is prevalent. Materialistic power became a goal for many Americans in modern America, which is identifiable in The Great Gatsby. People of East and West Egg indulged themselves with parties, pricey automobiles and the latest fashions, meanwhile, the people in the Valley of Ashes merely scraped by. Jay Gatsby out of his desire to 'own' Daisy went to great lengths to appear as a man of great fortune.
The definition of modern is relative to the time and space in which a historian might describe a society, situation, or technology, or as the Oxford Dictionary defines it as, “Of or relation to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past.” The problem with this, however, is that it is often difficult to look back on an historical event and differentiate between what was actually modern about that time and how historians impose a sense of modernity on an event that was the opposite. In Bruno Latour’s We Have Never Been Modern, Latour explores the origins of modernity and how it “is always being thrown into the middle of a fight,” somehow “defining, by contrast, an archaic and stable past.” Only one removed from the historical event can look at it as an outsider, and even then it is difficult to remove ties that relate current history to that of the past. The readers of history cannot help but see it with a lens that is tinted with the problems of today.
The Renaissance was a very vital time in our history without the Renaissance era we would not have many of the advancements that we have today. This era not only influenced art, literature, and music but also today’s politics, religion and society. During the Renaissance, there were many new inventions in technology the way of thinking also changed. This was key to the development of western civilization.
In history, revolution is the reason for constant shift in society. Many eras have come and gone and only some have left a significant impact on the world. In order for an era to be revolutionary, it has to leave a long lasting influence through social, economic and political means. Historians debate whether the Renaissance was considered a revolutionary period of history or not, however the Renaissance means “rebirth” and laid the foundation of the current era, the Modern Times. The Renaissance is a revolutionary period of history due to the far-reaching changes in art, politics, science and technology, as well as religion. During this period, art became more realistic, politics became based on merit, science and technology reached its greatest innovation point and lastly, religion began to fade away as humanism started to take its place.
The Renaissance, was an amazing cultural movement and the break from the Middle Ages affected every aspect of life. It is often known as the first transition from medieval to modern. The Middle Ages was a time where the church ruled the daily lives of people, and where land was of utmost importance. While events such as plagues and invasion triggered the shift from Middle Ages to Renaissance, the fundamental differences in philosophy such as humanism, secularism, and classicism defined the era, brought back from the Greeks and Romans. Many important aspects of society were thus largely influenced and changed with the new time period.
When the contemporary society is observed, it can be perceived that there are hidden influences from past cultures that constructed how many people live their lives. Past cultures have left many innovations and notions that have either been reimagined or have advanced into items and concepts that are still used today. The era that contained a generous portion of inventions and ideas that are still used or have influence the culture of today would be the Middle Ages.
The word “Renaissance” is defined as rebirth or revival. In the European civilization, the renaissance of art, literature, painting, music shared in certain trends and influences. When we talked about the Renaissance, we generally mean the period of western European history from 1400 to 1600. The Renaissance gradually spreads through Italy and Western Europe. As it did, people grew interested in giving new life to Greek and Roman styles of art and architecture. Renaissance people began to create unique cultures of their own.