Western Story

7/25/2019 Western Story

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The Western Story:The Development of Modernity

Michael Goheen

IDIS 102, TWU


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Overview of lecturesLast time: Examine modern humanism

Dee!"s #con$ession"

To dia%rams

Wa! e la&el historical eras

'rie$ de$inition

Toda!: Loo( at estern stor! and

de)elo*ment o$ modern humanism+rdlecture: Examine *ostmodern humanistchallen%e and %lo&al s*read o$ modernhumanism


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Origins of Modern Humanism

oots in *a%an-classical *eriod .u* to

/th

creser)ed and 3hristiani4ed in

medie)al-s!nthesis *eriod ./th-15thc


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Renaissance (14th-15th c.)

6umanism &e%ins to dissociate itsel$

$rom 3hristian connection3han%e $rom otherorldl! to this-

orldl! orientation

6uman &ein%s orient li)es toardmaster! o$ nature


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Life oriented toward natureThis #clearl! entails a s*iritual choice as to culturaldirection, namel!, that man"s destin! is reali4ed*rimaril! in his relation to the natural thin%s o$ this

orld and not in relation to his $ellomen Thecentralit! o$ the relationshi* o$ man ith nature,hoe)er, is one o$ the most characteristic $eatureso$ estern culture since the enaissance We

distin%uish oursel)es as human &ein%s *rimaril! &!the sha*e e %i)e to this orld throu%h humanthou%ht and creati)e a&ilit! rather than &! themeanin% o$ our li)es to other *ersons" .'o&Goud4aard


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cientific Revolution (1!th-1"th c)

3hristian and humanist )ision

6umanist )ision to dominate nature:Scienti$ic method %a)e Western societ!means

6umanist )ision ex*ressed &! en7Descartes .1/89-19/0 and rancis'acon .1/91-1929


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#escartes and $acon e%&ress modern vision;noled%e is *oer: Scienti$ic (noled%e o$orld ena&les human(ind to &uild &etter orld

Scienti$ic (noled%e o$ nature"s las ena&leshumanit! to *redict ho nature ill res*ond

This %i)es *oer to control


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Methodological ReasonDescartesMathematical Method

'aconEm*irical Method

2>

Scienti$icMethod

?


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6umanist )ision to dominate natureTrium*h o$ humanist )isionh!

3on$lict ith church


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6e sets the earth on its $oundations@ it can

ne)er &e mo)ed .s 105:/

F sun, stand still so the sun stood still .osh

10:12$

The earth remains $ore)er The sun rises andthe sun sets, and hurries &ac( to here it rises

.Eccl 1:5$


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eo*le %i)e ear to an u*start astrolo%er hostro)e to sho that the earth re)ol)es, not the

hea)ens or the $irmament, the sun and the

moon Whosoe)er ishes to a**ear cle)er

must de)ise some ne s!stem hich o$ all

s!stems, o$ course, is the &est This $ool

ishes to re)erse the entire science o$

astronom!@ &ut Sacred Scri*ture tells us that

oshua commanded the sun to stand still, and

not the earth

-Martin Luther


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6umanist )ision to dominate natureTrium*h o$ humanist )isionh!

3on$lict ith church

eli%ious ars


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'rium&h of humanist vision

3on)ersion o$

Euro*e

Success in


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onversion of est in wa*e of scientific

revolution

3 h u r c h

E u r o * e a n

S o c i e t !

, e a s o n

E u r o * e a n

S o c i e t !


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+nlightenment (1,th c.)

Scienti$ic humanism &ecomes

dominant reli%ious )ision .$aith

Enli%htenment $aith


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+nlightenment faithaith in *ro%ress

aradise ima%es: Seculari4ed )ision o$ &i&lical

stor!ro%ress identi$ied *rimaril! ith economic%roth

? the %reatest ha**iness *ossi&le $or us consists in the%reatest *ossi&le a&undance o$ o&Hects suita&le $or ourenHo!ment and in the %reatest li&ert! to *ro$it &! themB.Mercier de la i)iere, 1>9>


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ro*elled &! reason and science


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the con)iction that man as steadil! and ine)ita&l!

a**roachin% entrance into a &etter orld, that man himsel$

as &ein% *ro%ressi)el! im*ro)ed and *er$ected throu%h

his on e$$orts, constituted one o$ the most characteristic,

dee*-seated, and conse=uential *rinci*les o$ the modernsensi&ilit! 3hristianit! no lon%er seemed to &e the dri)in%

$orce o$ the human enter*rise or the ro&ust ci)ili4ation

o$ the West at the hi%h noon o$ modernit!, it was science

and reason not religion and elief which &ro&elled that&rogress Man"s ill, not God"s, as the ac(noled%ed

source o$ the orld"s &etterment and humanit!"s ad)ancin%

li&eration

-ichard Tarnas


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ro*elled &! reason and scienceScienti$ic reason translated into technolo%!

Scienti$ic reason translated into societal

or%anisationro%ress comes ?&! the a**lication o$ reasonB to

&oth ?technical and socialB issues .lum&


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+nlightenment (1,th c.)

Scienti$ic humanism: dominant

reli%ious )ision .$aith

Enli%htenment $aith

3on$lict ith the 3hristian $aith


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/arrowing of gos&el?The earl! 3hristian &elie$ that the all and

edem*tion *ertained not Hust to man &ut to

the entire cosmos, a doctrine alread! $adin%

a$ter the e$ormation, no disa**eared

alto%ether@ the *rocess o$ sal)ation, i$ it had

an! meanin% at all, *ertained solel! to the*ersonal relation &eteen God and manB

.Tarnas


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0ge of Revolution (1th

-23th c.)'rin%in% societ! into con$ormit! ithEnli%htenment $aith

rench, Industrial, Democratic, Marxist,Cmerican re)olutions

I$ the Enli%htenment )ision is true then ?the esta&lishment

o$ newsocial institutions is not a tedious incidental tas(,&ut a dire necessit! and a hi%hl! ethical im*erati)e In thatcase, the narro a! to the lost *aradise can onl! &e the

a! o$social revolution .Goud4aard


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#anger of humanist social structuresThe *ro&lem o$ leadin% a 3hristian li$e in a non-3hristian societ! is no )er! *resent to us It is notmerel! the *ro&lem o$ a minorit! in a societ! o$

indi)iduals holdin% an alien &elie$ It is the *ro&lemconstituted &! our im&lication in a networ* ofinstitutions from which we cannot dissociate ourselves@institutions the o*eration o$ hich a**ears no lon%erneutral, &ut non-3hristian@ and as $or the 3hristian hois not conscious o$ his dilemmaand he is in themaHorit!he is &ecomin% more and more de-3hristiani4ed &! all sorts o$ unconscious *ressures@

*a%anism no holdin% all the most )alua&le ad)ertisin%

s*ace .TS Eliot, 'he dea of a hristian ociet6, 1859


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'wo dominant forms of scientific

humanism in 23thcentur6

3ommunist: Throu%hout So)iet Union

and Eastern Euro*e

Li&eral: Throu%hout


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#evelo&ment in 1th and 23th enturies

Technolo%icalF*timism

ro%ress

Literar!Des*air

'rea(don


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ounterculture of the 1!3s7

8rowing #es&air

oc( music, dru% culture, hi**ie mo)ement, student

u*risin%s, etc

3hallen%e to #li%ht" o$ science and technolo%!

?The !outh$ul counter-culture ha)e, in a )ariet! o$ a!s,

called into =uestion the )alidit! o$ the con)entional

scienti$ic orld)ie, and in so doin% ha)e set a&out theunderminin% the $oundations o$ the technocrac!B

.Theodore os4a( in Ma(in% o$ a 3ounterculture


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estern onfession of 9aithI &elie)e in Science Clmi%ht! I &elie)e in

the *oer o$ human reason disci*lined &!

the scienti$ic method to understand, control,

and chan%e our orld

I &elie)e in Technolo%! and a ationalSociet!, its onl! &e%otten Sons hich ha)e

the *oer to rene our orld


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estern onfession of 9aith (cont:)

I &elie)e in the s*irit o$ ro%ress I &elie)e that

a science &ased technolo%! and a rationall!

or%ani4ed societ! ill ena&le me to reali4e m!

ultimate human %oal-- $reedom, ha**iness, and

the com$orts o$ material a&undance

I &elie)e in economism I &elie)e that the

a&undance o$ consumer %oods and the leisuretime to consume them ill ma(e me ha**! To

this I commit m!sel$ ith all m! mone!, time,

ener%!, and resources Cmen

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Western Story