Modernity

Modernity is a term used to describe the condition of being "Modern". Since the term "Modern" is used to describe a wide range of periods, modernity must be taken in context. Modern can mean all of post-medieval European history, in the context of dividing history into three large epochs !nti"uity or !ncient history, the Middle ages, and Modern. #t is also applied specifically to the period beginning somewhere between $%&' and $($', through the present, and even more specifically to the $($'-$()' period.

Modern as Post-Medieval
*ne common use of the term is to describe the condition of +estern ,istory since the mid-$-''.s, or roughly the European discovery of moveable type and the printing press. /his period is said to be characterised by

0ise of the nation state #ndustriali1ation 0ise of capitalism Emergence of socialist countries 0ise of representative democracy #ncreasing role of science and technology 2rbani1ation Mass literacy 3roliferation of mass media

#n this context the "Modern" Modernity is said to develop over many periods, and to be influenced by important events which represent breaks in the continuity 3eriods include

/he !ge of 4iscovery /he 0enaissance /he 0eformation and 5ounter 0eformation /he !ge of 0eason /he Enlightenment the 0omantic the 6ictorian, 7See also /he #ndustrial 0evolution8 the Modern the 3ostmodern 7See also 3ostmodernity and 4igitality8

#mportant events in the development of Modernity in this context include"

/he !rrival of the 3rinting 3ress /he English 5ivil +ar /he !merican 0evolution

/he /he /he /he

9rench 0evolution 0evolutions of $%-% 0ussian 0evolution 9irst +orld +ar and the Second +orld +ar

#t is usually suggested that some or most of these events led to the more complete reali1ation of "modern" society in Europe.

Defining Characteristics of Modernity

/here have been numerous attempts, particularly in the field of sociology, to understand what modernity is. ! wide variety of terms are used to describe the society, social life, driving force, symptomatic mentality, or some other defining aspects of modernity. /hey include :ureaucracy, 4isenchantment of the world, 0ationali1ation, Seculari1ation, !lienation, 5ommodification, 4econtextuali1ation, #ndividualism, Sub;ectivism, <inear-progression, *b;ectivism, 2niversalism, 0eductionism, 5haos, Mass society, #ndustrial society, ,omogeni1ation, 2nification, ,ybridi1ation, 4iversification, 4emocrati1ation, 5entrali1ation, ,ierarchical organi1ation, Mechani1ation, /otalitarian, and so on. Modernity is often characteri1ed by comparing modern societies to premodern or postmodern ones, and the understanding of those non-modern social statuses is, again, far from a settled issue. /o an extent, it is reasonable to doubt the very possibility of a descriptive concept that can ade"uately capture diverse realities of societies of various historical contexts, especially non-European ones, let alone a three-stage model of social evolution from premodernity to postmodernity. ,owever, in terms of social structure, many of the defining events and characteristics listed above stem from a transition from relatively isolated local communities to a more integrated large-scale society. 2nderstood this way, moderni1ation might be a general, abstract process which can be found in many different parts of histories, rather than a uni"ue event in Europe. #n general, large-scale integration involves

#ncreased movement of goods, capital, people, and information among formerly separate areas, and increased influence that reaches beyond a local area. #ncreased formali1ation of those mobile elements, development of .circuits. on which those elements and influences travel, and standardi1ation of many aspects of the society in general that is conducive to the mobility. #ncreased speciali1ation of different segments of society, such as the division of labor, and interdependency among areas.

Seemingly contradictory characteristics ascribed to modernity are often different aspects of this process. 9or example, uni"ue local culture is invaded and lost by the increased mobility of cultural elements, such as recipes, folktales, and hit songs, resulting in a cultural homogeni1ation across localities, but the repertoire of available recipes and songs increases within a area because of the increased interlocal

movement, resulting in a diversification within each locality. 7/his is manifest especially in large metropolises where there are many mobile elements8. 5entrali1ed bureaucracy and hierarchical organi1ation of governments and firms grows in scale and power in an unprecedented manner, leading some to lament the stifling, cold, rationalist or totalitarian nature of modern society. =et individuals, often as replaceable components, may be able to move in those social subsystems, creating a sense of liberty, dynamic competition and individualism for others. /his is especially the case when a modern society is compared with premodern societies, in which the family and social class one is born into shapes one.s lifecourse to a greater extent. /hese social changes are somewhat common to many different levels of social integration, and not limited to what happened to the +est European societies in a specific time period. 9or example, these changes might happen when formerly separate virtual communities merge. Similarly, when two human beings develop a close relationship, communication, convention, and increased division of roles tend to emerge. !nother example can be found in ongoing globali1ation - the increased international flows changing the landscape for many. #n other words, while modernity has been characteri1ed in many seemingly contradictory ways, many of those characteri1ations can be reduced to a relatively simple set of concepts of social change. !t the same time, however, such an understanding of modernity is certainly not satisfactory to many, because it fails to explain the global influence of +est European and !merican societies since the 0enaissance. Mere large-scale integration of local communities, seen in the Macedonia of !lexander the >reat or the Mongolia of the ?hans, would not necessarily result in the same magnitude of influence as the +est European moderni1ation. +hat has made +estern Europe so special@ /here have been two ma;or answers to this "uestion. 9irst, an internal factor is that only in Europe, through the 0enaissance humanists and early modern philosophers and scientists, rational thinking came to replace many intellectual activities that had been under heavy influence of convention, superstition, and religion. /his line of answer is most fre"uently associated with Max +eber, a sociologist who is known to have pursued the answer to the above "uestion. Second, an external factor is that coloni1ation, starting as early as the !ge of 4iscovery, created exploitative relations between European countries and their colonies. /his view has notably been explored by the world systems theory of #mmanuel +allerstein. #t is also notable that such commonly-observed features of many modern societies as the nuclear family, slavery, gender roles, and nation states do not necessarily fit well with the idea of rational social organi1ation in which components such as people are treated e"ually. +hile many of these features have been dissolving, histories seem to suggest those features may not be mere exceptions to the essential characteristics of moderni1ation, but necessary parts of it. The Paradox of Modernity

Moderni1ation brought a series of seemingly undisputable benefits to people. <ower infant mortality rate, decreased death from starvation, eradication of some of the fatal diseases, more e"ual treatment of people with different backgrounds and incomes, and so on. /o some, this is an indication of the potential of modernity, perhaps yet to be fully reali1ed. #n general, rational, scientific approach to problems and the pursuit of economic wealth seems still to many a reasonable way of understanding good social development. !t the same time, there are a number of dark sides of modernity pointed out by sociologists and others. /echnological development occurred not only in the medical and agricultural fields, but also in the military. /he atomic bombs dropped on ,iroshima and Aagasaki during +orld +ar ##, and the following nuclear arms race in the post-war era, are considered by some as symbols of the danger of technologies that humans may or may not be able to handle wisely. Stalin.s >reat 3urges and the ,olocaust 7or Shoah8 are considered by some as indications that rational thinking and rational organi1ation of a society might involve exclusion, or extermination, of non-standard elements. #t is pointed out by some that homosexuals, criminals, and the mentally ill are also among the excluded in the modern society. Environmental problems comprise another category in the dark side of modernity. 3ollution is perhaps the least controversial of these, but one may include decreasing biodiversity and climate change as results of development. /he development of biotechnology and genetic engineering are creating what some consider sources of unknown risks. :esides these obvious incidents, many critics point out psychological and moral ha1ards of modern life - alienation, feeling of rootlessness, loss of strong bonds and common values, hedonism, and so on. /his is often accompanied by a re-evaluation of pre-modern communities, though such criticism may slip into a nostalgia for an idealised past.

Modernity and the contemporary society

/here is an ongoing debate about the relationship between modernity and present societies. /he debate has two dimensions. 9irst, there is an empirical "uestion of whether some of the present societies can be understood as a variation of modernity 7such as hypermodernity8 or as a distinctive type, such as postmodernity. Second, there is a ;udgement of whether moderni1ation has been, and is, desirable for a society. Seemingly new phenomena such as globali1ation, the end of the 5old +ar, ethnic conflicts, and the proliferation of information technologies are taken by some as reasons to adopt a new vision to navigate social development.

0ev. 9r. ,erbert 9. Baranilla

St. 3eter 5ollege Seminary