Western Civilization
Nature of the Universe
Between 1850 and 1914, scientific thought and discovery became much more pronounced and accepted throughout society. Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" began to be acknowledged as true, and it helped indicate the world took thousands of years to evolve. The nature of the universe came into better understanding as well, as scientists began to discover new planets and stars, and understand that man and the Earth were far less dominant in the vastness of the universe. As scientists discovered the size and scope of the universe, humanity seemed far less important and influential in such a vast universe. In many areas, society became more equal, with classes disappearing and democracy appearing in more areas of Europe.
Science understood that the Earth had evolved and man had evolved. While man stood on the top-most rung of evolution on this planet, it was hard to know if there was life on other planets and what had evolved there. Thus, humanity's place in the universe seemed to shrink, even as humanity's place on Earth grew. People accepted science, and so they also accepted the idea that humans were not unique, but were descendents of animals, and products of the natural world. Thus, some people felt the theories of evolution actually eliminated meaning and purpose from the universe, and that man's contribution to the universe was slight at best. It was clear man enjoyed superior intellect to other life forms on Earth, but in the universe, that might not be true, and so humanity's place in the universe seemed to mean less than it did before, which was distressing to many people. People still had faith and beliefs, but scientific reasoning brought much of this into question, and many felt humanity was losing ground to science and scientific thought. It was a time of great change and innovation, and humanity became less important and yet vital at the same time.
References
Spielvogel. Jackson J. Western Civilization. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company, 1997.
Western Civilization The world has always progressed through those adventurous in spirit that were not afraid to brake barriers, to confront established rules and to keep seeking new territories, be it in the fields of science, religion, law, or the physical world. The period of Renaissance that started and flourished in Italy and then spread throughout the rest of the continent changed world views and challenged the traditional at every level.
As compared to polytheism, monotheism which is practiced by Christians, Muslims, Jews and other monotheistic religious denominations, has virtually taken over as the primary religious belief system in today's modern world. For Muslims who practice Islam, the only god is Allah which is comparable with the biblical Jehovah, but for all those who practice some form of monotheism, there is only one true God which forms the foundation and creates
As a result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, James II was deposed, and William of Orange was invited to become king on condition that he agreed to a new Bill of Rights and a Constitutional Agreement with Parliament. By contrast, France's political absolutism was centered on strengthening the power of the French kings, and weakening that of the nobles. It was established and consolidated during the reign of
Western Civilization Between the Reformation and Scientific Revolution, it is evident that the latter had greater impact in destabilizing the strong hold of the Church over 16th-17th century Western society. Prior to the emergence of the Reformation, the Church was the dominant religious and political authority in the West. The clergy assumed the roles of both political and religious leaders, influencing the way society conduct their everyday lives. The Church may
The decision to intervene in Latin American revolutions however brought internal conflict to the Concert, with Britain refusing to take part. The premise was that Britain's trade and profit from the Spanish would be lost with the end of the rebellion. 6. The Revolutions of 1848 took place throughout Europe as a result of cumulative political and economic issues. The economy was experiencing a downturn in concomitance with the historical
Western Civilization From Prehistory to the Renaissance Early Civilizations What do historians mean by "pre-history?" What was life like for early humans during these years? There are many things that we as citizens of the modern world take for granted. First among these is probably the enormous amount of recorded information that we have at our fingertips. Everything from our purchases, to our places of employment, to the times and places of our births
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now