Class notes
College aantekeningen Thematic Seminar: The end of history? Theories of modernity (5182KTC50)
- Course
- Institution
College aantekeningen Thematic Seminar: The end of history? Theories of modernity (5182KTC50)
[Show more]
Seller
Followcarmenjungnitsch
Reviews received
Content preview
Thematic Seminars compilationdocument
Content
Thematic Seminar 1 – 3-2 – introduction ................................................................................................ 2
Thematic seminar 2 – 10-2 – enlightenment and revolution: theories of modernity ............................ 8
Thematic seminar 3 – 17-2 – what is enlightenment? .......................................................................... 14
Thematic seminar 4 – 24-2 – universal history: Kant ............................................................................ 21
Thematic seminar 5 – 3-3 – universal history: Hegel ............................................................................ 24
Thematic Seminar 6 – 10-3 – Counter-enlightenment: Spengler ......................................................... 31
Thematic seminar 7 – 31-3 – counter-enlightenment: Adorno and Horkheimer ................................. 40
Thematic seminar 8 – 7-4 – modernity and postmodernity ................................................................. 47
Thematic seminar 9 – 21-4 – the end of history ................................................................................... 54
Thematic seminar 10 – 28-4 – multiple modernities ............................................................................ 57
Thematic Seminar 11 – 12-5 – Mignolo ................................................................................................ 59
Thematic Seminar 12 – 19-5 – History and the Anthropocene ............................................................. 62
1
,Thematic Seminar 1 – 3-2 – introduction
Overview
- Introductions
- Structure of seminars
- History and modernity
o Key questions
- Discussion
o What is modernity?
- Syllabus
o Structure of the course
o Assignments
➔ This week we will introduce ourselves, talk about the core questions of this course and about
the assignments and assessments
Influential philosophy
- Nietzsche
- Hegel
- Marx
- Engels
- Spangler
- Herder
- Foucault
- Fukuyama
- Etc.
The European Union as a model signifying the end of history
The end of the cold war as the end of history
Attack on the world trade center signifying the tension between the west and the rest
The hold religion has on politics and people has often been underestimated
The end of history?
➔ What we may be witnessing is not the end of the Cold War but the end of history as such
o That is, the end point of man’s ideological evolution and the universalization of
Western liberal democracy
▪ Francis Fukuyama
The end of the end of history
Key questions
- What is history?
o There is a difference between history and the study of history
o What does it mean to think of things (societies, cultures, identities, values) as
historical?
▪ Evolution, progress, rationality
▪ The notion of history itself emerged historically
- Modernity is, more than everything else, the history of time
2
, oZygmunt Bauman
▪ Modernity is the time when time has a history
• Liquid modernity
o Who are we and how did we get to where we are?
o What is the process that made us what we are?
o History became a key notion in modernity
o We live currently in the age of history
▪ Foucault
• Everything (all fields of science) became to
be understood historically
- How is the notion of modernity and modernization bound up with a specific understanding of
historical development?
o Modernization as a way of developing
- What is modernity?
o What is modernity in the light of the historical understanding of itself?
▪ Can the notion of modernity be separated from the historical shape
modernization took in the western world?
➔ If people are not enlightened, it is because they are being deceived
o Condorcet
➔ Cultural pluralism
o Herder
What is modernity?
- Modernity refers to modes of social life or organization which emerged in Europe from about
the seventeenth century onwards and which subsequently became more or less worldwide
in their influence
o Giddens
▪ Should modernity be a universal goal?
▪ Are there different notions of modernity?
▪ Should modernity not be a universal goal?
Discussion
- What is modernity?
o Modernity
o Enlightenment
o Secularization
o Adoption of liberal democracy
▪ Pretty late development
o Nation states
o Feudal system
o Rationalism
o Against barbaric, uncivilized
o Constitutionalism
o Magna carta
o Capitalism
o Industrialization
- What is modernization?
- Is modernization tied to westernization?
- Is modernization a good thing?
3
, - Are different parts of the world modern in different ways?
J.M.W. Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway (1844)
Age of revolutions
- Copernican revolution
o 1543
▪ Earth no longer at the centre
▪ Scientific revolution
• Galileo
• Newton
• Etc.
- Political revolutions
o Dutch revolt
▪ 1568
o Glorious revolution
▪ 1688
o American Revolution
▪ 1775
o French revolution
▪ 1789
- Reason over faith, dogma
- Hume
o The mere name of the king commands little respect
o And to talk of a king as god’s vice regent on earth, or to give him any of these
magnificent titles which formerly dazzled mankind, would but excite laughter in
everyone
o With the least shock or convulsion the kingly power being no longer supported by
the settled principles and opinions of men, will immediately dissolve
- Galileo
o eppur si muove
▪ and yet it moves
• He agreed with Copernicus
• Was threatened to withdraw his endorsement
• And yet it moves
o it is true even though you do not believe it
- Kant’s Copernican revolution
o Philosophical critique
o Authority of reason grounded in the subject
- 1602
o foundation of the Dutch east India company
▪ Capitalism
▪ Colonization
▪ First multinational cooperation
▪ Stock exchange
- Right
o The world’s first stock exchange in Amsterdam
4
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller carmenjungnitsch. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.82. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
84669 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now