Discuss how the intellectual movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries undermined many of the traditional values of Western society.
Base your discussion on the themes and concepts from the readings and lectures.
The late 19th century and early 20th centuries marked a period of great flux in Western society.
It was the time of rapid industrialization and cultural change that would eventually lead to what we now call the modern world.
For many people, it is seen as a time of upheaval, where traditional values clashed with new beliefs and lifestyles arose that challenged the status quo.
In many ways, this was nothing new.
Western civilization had been in a state of perpetual change since the end of the Middle Ages, which gave rise to a number of new social trends and movements, such as rapid urbanization and the Protestant Reformation.
Even throughout the early modern period, there were changes brought about by increased literacy rates, greater wealth and the more rapid spread of ideas due to advances in transportation and communication.
The 19th century saw science’s relationship with religion challenged on several fronts.
The publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, followed by his later treatise, “The Descent of Man”, undermined many Christians’ beliefs in the Bible and God’s role as creator.
The 20th century would see the rise of secular humanism, a worldview that rejected religion as a whole and promoted science as mankind’s only way to truth.
The evolutionary framework of Darwinian theory also cast doubt on traditional notions of morality, which were based on religion and divine law.
In the first half of the 20th century, logical positivism, a philosophy that held that all scientific knowledge could be reduced to concrete facts and empiricism, became popular in some circles.
It further undermined religious faith by asserting that metaphysical statements could not be proven by science.
In reaction to these intellectual movements, several conservative Christian movements emerged to reassert traditional religious values.
The most notable of these was Fundamentalism, which arose in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.
This movement sought to counter Darwin’s theory by making a literal interpretation of the Bible the standard by which all knowledge was to be judged.
Closely associated with Fundamentalism was evangelicalism, another religious movement that sought to replace traditional Protestant beliefs with a more personal faith in God and Christ.
Not only did new scientific discoveries challenge longstanding notions about religion, but they also had a profound impact on society as well.
The widespread acceptance of Darwin’s theory inspired a shift away from the belief in God as creator and ruler, which allowed many people to doubt traditional Christian doctrines.
The various intellectual movements challenged morality and the traditional family structure, which led to increased divorce rates and the rise of the single-parent household.
These changes culminated in what many consider to be a “different” 20th century, one in which moral relativism became prevalent, with few social boundaries separating new political and economic trends from more perverted ones.
The intellectual movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries undermined many of the traditional values of Western society.
At the same time, however, they also created a more open-minded, scientifically oriented culture that has led to many new discoveries and inventions.
Many people believe that these changes have made life easier and better for all people, while others argue that they have caused economic hardship and moral decay.
There is no doubt, however, that the 19th and early 20th centuries were periods of great change that forever altered Western civilization.
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