1

UNCERTAINTY IN MODERN THOUGHT

1. INTRODUCTION
a.
a complex revolution in thought and ideas began in the late
19th century, that would, after WWI, spread throughout the entire
population of the West
i.
Western societies began to question and even abandon
values and beliefs that had guided it since the scientific revolution and
enlightenment, and industrial revolution.
b.
THE BELIEF IN PROGRESS, REASON & THE RIGHTS OF
THE INDIVIDUAL
i.
before 1914 most believed in these values
(1)
PROGRESS a daily reality
(a)
apparent rise in living standards
(b)
taming of cities
(c) steady increase in popular education
(2)
REASON
(a)
comforting belief in Newtonian universe
(b)
ability of rational human mind to understand the
universe through intellectual investigation
(c) just as there were scientific laws- laws of society
existed that rational humans could
discover &
wisely act upon
c.

CULT OF SCIENCE-MATERIALISM & POSITIVISM

i.
foundations were laid for an essentially materialistic
philosophy that
appealed to educated middle class
ii. August Comte (1798-1857)
(1)
System of positive philosophy
(2)
all intellectual activity passes through 3 stages
(a)
theological or fictitious
(b)
Metaphysical or abstract
(c) scientific or positive
(d)
satisfied with material world, science only guide
2. AT THE SAME TIME

by the end of the 19th century, early liberal ideology couldnt solve
basic economic and social problems
2 strands of socialisma) violent revolution 7 b) change through
gradual democratic means
A.

the New Right embraces nationalism, rejected democracy and human

equality while adopting racist and Anti-Semitic ideologies
1890s neo romanticism emphasized feeling and emotion over rational
thought, while irrationality and uncertainty permeated philosophy, the social
sciences, arts, religion, and science itself
II. THE DARWINIAN REVOLUTION
A. idea of evolution nothing new1. Greek Anaximander 6cen BC-evolutionary biology
2. Jean Baptiste Lamarck
B. Charles Darwin--On the origins of Species by means of natural
selection (1859)
1. originality lay in suggesting precisely how bio evolved occurred
2. decisively influenced by Malthus's theories-pop outstrips food
3. life is a constant struggle
a) chance differences among the members of species
help
some
to survive while others died
b) useful variations selected naturally & gradually spread to
entire species through reproduction
c) NUMBERS OF NEW SPECIES INFINITE-BIBLE
d) Darwin hailed by MC Newton of biology" who revealed once
again the powers of objective science
C. Social Darwinism
1. Herbert Spencer- applied evolutionary l theory to every aspect
of human society
2. Survival of the fittest"
3. Walter Bagehot: in the struggle of existence among the groups, "the
majority of the groups which win and conquer are better than the majority of
those which fail and perish"
4. Might makes right & only the strong survive
a) racially, culturally-white Anglo-Saxon
5. understandably especially popular with upper MC
III.
Art in the age of Science
A. Realism & naturalism

B. Impressionism
C. Symbolism
IV. PHILOSOPHY 1880's small band of serious thinkers & creative writers
began to attack these well-worn optimistic ideas--rejected general faith in
progress and the power of the rational human mind
A. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
a) West Civilization had lost its creativity & decayed into
mediocrity
b)

e)
f)
2.
a)

B.

C.
2.

God is Dead freed individuals from social constraints

c) Christianity's "slave morality" had glorified weakness &

humility
d) over stressed rational thinking at expense of passion &
emotion
conventional morality-reason, democracy, progress,
respectability were outworn social & psych
constructs suffocating creativity
condemned political democracy & greater social
equality
only hope of revival
few superior individuals to free themselves from
humdrum
thinking
b) supermen capable of leading the dumb herd of inferior men
& women
Henri Bergsten (1859-1941) immediate experience & intuition as
important as rational & scientific thought--religious experience or mystical
poem often more accessible to human comprehension than scientific law or
mathematical equation
Georges Sorel (1847-1922)
1. characterized Marxism inspiring but un-provable religion, not
rational scientific truth
socialism to power by through great violent working class
strike
3. rejected democracy & believed-masses controlled by small
revolutionary elite

V. NEW SCHOLARSHIP
A. Biblical scholars

1. 1840's onward demolished many assumptions about value of Bible as

historical evidence
2. more importantly- a psych change in entire attitude toward scriptural text-made it possible to simply regard Bible as historic text, like any other to be
approached critically--LIFE OF JESUS
3. geology- bible not facts-age of earth Charles Lydell
a) Principles of Geology earth by forces still at work not at one creative
moment-wind, rain,-role of fossils at different ages- dinosaurs not in Bible
B.
1.
a)
C.
1.
a)

Anthropology
other civilizations have intrinsic value
their value systems not inferior-different
history-archaeology
rise and fall of civilizations
Is West Civilization like Roman, Chinese, Greek?

VI. NEW PHYSICS

A. SCIENCE WAS ONE OF MAIN PILLARS SUPPORTING WESTERN SOCIETY'S
OPTIMISTIC & RATIONALISTIC VIEW OF UNIVERSE-PROGRESSIVE MINDS
BELIEVED THAT SCIENCE, UNLIKE RELIGION & PHILOSOPHICAL
SPECULATION, BASED ON HARD FACTS & CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTSSCIENCE SEEMED TO HAVE ACHIEVED AN UNERRING & ALMOST
COMPLETED PICTURE OF REALITY; UNCHANGING NATURAL LAWS SEEMED
TO DETERMINE PHYSICAL PROCESSES & PERMIT USEFUL SOLUTIONS TO
MORE & MORE PROBLEMS; ALL THIS WAS COMFORTING, ESPECIALLY TO
PEOPLE WHO WERE NO LONGER COMMITTED TO TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS
B. ATOMS NOT MADE PERMANENT LITTLE BILLIARD BALLS-MUCH SMALLER
1. curies- smaller particles- radium emits subatomic particles-electrons &
protons-does not have a stable atomic weight
2. NEWTON sharp difference between matter & energy BUT
3. Max Planck (1858-1947) quantum theory
a) might matter and energy be different forms of same
thing
4. ALBERT Einstein (1879-1955)
a) challenged Newtonian Physics by relativity
b) 3 dimensionlength, breadth, width, now added time
c) time & space not absolute, but relative to viewpoint of
the observer
(4) Werner Heisenberg uncertainty principle The more
precisely the position (momentum) of a particle is given, the less precisely

can one say what its momentum (position) is. In other words the speed of
an object and its location can not be exactly determinednor where its going
I Toward a distinctive 20th century Culture
Anthropology-social science tied to imperialism
all cultures are equal--VALUE OF ANY SOCIETY ARE RELATIVE TO ITS
TIME AND PLACE
Bible studies and archaeology
Could Western civ just be a phase like Romans or Greeks?
ART- BEGAN TO ESCHEW APPROACHES THAT WERE DECORATIVE OR
PLEASANT
MUSIC- 12 TONE HARDER FOR LAY AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND
LITERATURE BEGAN CHOOSING TOPICS FOR SHOCK VALUE
JAMES JOYCE ULYSSES (1922) A SINGLE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A
DUBLINER -FRANZ KAFKA-THE TRIAL- NARRATORS TELLS OF
ARREST, CONVICTION, & EXECUTION ON CHARGES HE CAN NEVER
DISCOVER
OSWALD SPENGLER-DECLINE OF THE WEST-WHOLE CIVILIZATIONS
AS BIOLOGICAL ORGANICISM WITH LIFE CYCLES OF THEIR OWN-PREDICTED WEST'S DEMISE --LIBERAL INSTITUTIONS HASTENING END
Jose ORTEGA Y GASSET, THE REVOLT OF THE MASSES 1930- TH
MASSES WERE DESTINE TO DESTROY THE HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENTS OF
WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS AS THEY ROSE
SCIENCE-EINSTEIN--NEWTON ASSUMED SPACE AND TIME ARE
ABSOLUTE AND ARE SEPARATE-EINSTEIN-ARE NEITHER ABSOLUTE OR
SEPARATE-PART OF A CONTINUUM-MUST BE MEASURED IN RELATIONSHIP
TO THE OBSERVERMAX. PLANK DISCOVERY OF QUANTA -MATTER & ENERGY MIGHT BE
INTERCHANGEABLE -IMPOSSIBLE TO MEASURE SIMULTANEOUSLY By THE
ENERGY AND THE MASS OF A SUBATOMIC PARTICLE-MEASUREMENT OF
ONE ALTER THE APPARENT VALUES OF THE OTHER--UNCERTAINTY EFFECTTHE POSITION OF THE OBSERVER FUNDAMENTALLY AFFECTED WHAT HE
OBSERVED