The condition of being modern - I

As one browses through pages of history, a point truly comes where commencement of modern period can be marked. This condition of being modern lies in the wad of 18th century thought process. (European context) Most important layer being knowledge based on critical reasoning which led to progress in all aspects of human understanding, science and technology. It is based on this characteristic that we can distinguish modern period from earlier eras.

According to Marshall Berman, “what make all these changes distinctively modern are not the inventions themselves, but a process of incessant enquiry, discovery and innovation, and a shared determination to transform theory into practice, to use all we know to change the world.”

Talking about changes, two things were major

a. critical reasoning

b. conception of universal history

For this one can go through readings by Immanuel Kant, Cassirer E, and G W F Hegel on enlightenment and philosophy of history. Let us talk about critical reasoning. First what does ‘critical’ in ‘critical thinking’ means?Using our cognitive faculties and knowledge, we have acquired till yet to understand the circumstances in front of us. This calls us to be self-analytical or self conscious before conforming, even to any factual information.

During the 18th century, main fundamental principle was to combine knowledge based on reason (experimentation) and experience. We can say combining the empirical and rational thinking. It was proved during this century that one should keep on analysing data till we get to the simplest component and have a reason behind every belief.

Enlightenment thinkers were asking people to critically judge themselves in all phases of life. Immanuel Kant marked this phase as beginning of modernity or ‘break from the past’ which is based on reasoning and analysis. Having a self conscious nature (or reflexive) gets interconnected with term modern – not accepting anything with blind faith. It was because authoritative institutions like church and nobility were questioned, that new foundations based on the concept of nation state could be laid.

Who's who?

During the 16th and 17th century, decision of the church was taken supreme as well as the knowledge based on experience. With the progress to 18th century, the funda became of combining experience plus experimentation. It became important to break down things to simpler facts with a reason behind every event.
The 18th century came to be known as the age of enlightenment that advocated the use of reason in the re-evaluation of accepted ideas and social institutions. This particular time period is marked as beginning of modernity (condition of being modern) or as Immanuel Kant calls ‘a break from the past’.

The way knowledge was acquired formed an important characteristic for condition of being modern. It puts us in a state of continual analysis of circumstances and fact finding based on pattern of science.

With more and more influx of knowledge, and ability to collect and store every bit of knowledge in form other than written created possibility of higher level of reflexivity.

The concept of reflexivity can be defined as a cyclic process of reflection of thought and action on to each other, for one to justify the other according to Anthony Giddens analysis of modernity. As a result of this, truth of today may not be the truth of tomorrow. Reacting to all this, a modern society experiences change at a very rapid rate which brings in the character of uncertainty/ impermanence.

This change/ uncertainty brought in by modern life makes the issue of identity so important.