Theory of Modernity Essay - 928 Words

Theory of modernity is based on the notion of social progress, it implies that all of society, in whatever era they exist and in what region or were located, are involved in a single, all-consuming, the universal process of the ascent of human society from savagery to civilization. Culture of modernity is defining the development of European civilization for four centuries. It based on the idea of progress and human values, which are now, cherished every European: a democratic political system, economic freedom, professional excellence, autonomy, civil society and legal state. The French Revolution - perhaps the most powerful shock of the XVIII century - changed the face of France, giving it a modern character. It†¦show more content†¦As The Age of Enlightenment passed through Europe, these religious identities began to decline due to the development of national ones that were defined by set geographic regions. One of the main characteristics of modernity is the idea of sovereignty which by definition is the supreme and independent power of a state. The first concrete sovereign states came out during the Age of Enlightenment with the French Revolution and its upheavals in its classes as well as its government. The creation of a National Assembly from t he members of the Third Estate of France is directly linked to the creation of modern sovereignty and the emergence of an identity free of the traditional social order. Modernity arose during the Age of Enlightenment because there was great social and political upheaval going around. Ideas of the old were being thrown out in the favor of new and progressive ones. People began to move away from the feudalistic society that had set social orders with the church as the main power to a society with set geographic boundaries with the state as the supreme power and not the church. With this came a national identity that strayed away from religion and moved closer to the idea of a nation-state. Before the French Revolution, France was divided into three class systems known as estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second being the nobility and the Third being everyone else. The First and Second Estate held a majority ofShow MoreRelatedModernity and Classical Sociology Theory Essays1855 Words   |  8 Pages Paul de Man once said, â€Å"Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure.† But what is he really trying to say? Modernity takes out the old and brings in the new, continually upgrading to something else? Modernity appears as a concept of change. 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In trying to understand how the world is where it is now, as well as what has come before we use the concept of modernity to describe these changes or in other words the making of the modern world. In this paper I will outline how I understand modernity as well as the emergence of sociology. I will