What is Modernism?
Modernism is the philosophy that elevates humans to the apex of authority. Postmodernism, its successor, suggests that objective truth cannot be determined. Modernism (also referred to as the Enlightenment) believed it could rescue civilization from dark superstition and Christianity by stripping away all sources of authority except that of humans.
Modernists hold that reality is limited to the physical world, eliminating all possibility of God intervening in history. There are no miracles, no opening of the Red Sea, healing of the lame, or the resurrection from the dead. As scientist Carl Sagan memorably declared, “The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be” (4). Modernists suggest that humans were nothing more than especially well evolved animals whose value differs little from that of the other animals sharing the planet. Modernists believe that humans are inherently good, and that human progress is inevitable. Such progress seemed feasible for much of the nineteenth century, when medicines began to control diseases and technology eased lifestyles. The phrase “science says” came to carry the authority once reserved for the words “the Bible says.” Many spoke of humanity becoming more noble and rational, and many attempted to develop utopian communities on Earth.
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