19th Century Ideologies Chapter 24

New Ideologies 19th CenturyChapter 24

A Changing World View

A New Perspective In the 19th century, many in Europe began

to adopt new models of thinking More secular Greater focus on science and rationality

Growing confidence in science and human reason and its ability to answer and address all of life’s (society’s) issues and questions

Utilitarianism the idea that decisions should be based on

what allows for the greatest good (“happiness or well being) for the greatest number of people “the greatest good for the greatest number” “Pleasure” and freedom from “pain” become

the major factor in decision making

Utilitarianism decisions are based on the idea of

bringing about as much “pleasure” (happiness- well being) as possible for as many people as possible

Laws and ethical standards based on realistic goals and “positive outcomes” Quantifiable outcomes Measurable

Jeremy Benthamfounder of Utilitarianism 1748-1832 English philosopher Influenced by John Locke

and Thomas Hobbes Rationalism The Enlightenment

Interested in social reform and the scientific analysis of morals and laws

Utilitarianism- finding the balance“quantification”

John Stuart Mill “Actions are right in proportion as they

tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain.”

Example of the utilitarian model:Would it be better to painlessly kill one chick to ensure the “happiness” and wellbeing of the remaining three?

PositivismAugust Comte 1798-1857 Called the “grand priest

of humanism” Reason, science, and

logic were the keys to solving the problems of society (humanity)

Associated with the new discipline of sociology (Social Sciences)

Positivism’s Stages of Knowledge

All knowledge passes through three phases Theological or fictitious

- necessary point of departure Metaphysical or abstract-

”transition” phase Scientific or positive-

“fixed and definitive state”- truth

Naturalism- associated with Charles Darwin

English naturalist1809-1882

Darwin’s work expressed a confidence in science as the path to a true understanding of the natural world and human origins

Developed a theory of biological evolution based on the ideas of random mutations and natural selection

Darwin proposed that all life evolved from a common origin (ancestor) and developed in complexity through the process of adaptation and random mutation over time

The Origin of Species (published in 1859) Darwin’s ideas challenged traditional religious

views concerning God, creation, and human origin

Quotes from Darwin "In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at

the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment."

"The fact of evolution is the backbone of biology, and biology is thus in the peculiar position of being a science founded on an improved theory, is it then a science or faith?"

Herbert SpencerSocial Darwinism

Social Darwinism Herbert Spencer applied Darwin’s ideas of

natural selection to society (people groups)

Believed that nature (natural selection ) determined society and was based on the “survival of the fittest” Part of the natural process of life and

evolution

The “best” human beings naturally emerge as superior

Spencer believed that social programs to assist the poor interfered with the natural order helping weak and inferior humans damages

the purity (strength and health) of the human race

Malthusian view – natural check on population growth

Quotes from Herbert Spencer

“This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called "natural selection, or the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life."

Impact of Social Darwinism Driving force behind much of Europe’s

imperialistic expansion into Africa and Asia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Growing sense of European (Western) superiority

Racism and ethnocentrism

Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis

1856-1939 Raised in a devout

Jewish family (became an atheist)

Studied to become a doctor and later a psychiatrist

Freud

Became a strong voice for naturalism and the secular worldview There is no reality but physical reality No God- no spiritual or metaphysical

influenced by Darwin’s work Freud focused on scientifically understanding

the nature of the human mind and consciousness

Freud’s work The Interpretation of Dreams

(published in 1900)

Proposed that humans experience sexual desires and fantasies as infants and children

Believed that most psychological problems and neuroses were the result of repressed sexuality

Freud saw civilization as a product of repressed and sublimated aggression and sexual drive

Karl MarxCommunism German philosopher Believed that material forces defined history and

society History was nothing more than the history of “class

struggle” Bourgeoisie oppression of the poorer working class Marx used Hegel’s dialectical model of thesis, anti-

thesis, synthesis to analyze and interpret history (Dialectical Materialism)

Marx’s Ideas Revolution was the key to change economic and

social change “Abolition of private property” Eradication of religion

Called religion the “opiate” (drug) of the people and a tool of oppression

Realism in Art and Literature Focused on the realities of everyday life Moved away for the Romantic Movement’s

sentimentality and focus on human freedom, the glory of the individual, and the beauty of nature

Focused more on objective reality NOT subjective spirituality or sentimentality

Saw mankind at the mercy of a determined universe that was often cruel and uncaring (fate) – naturalistic perspective

LITERATURE

Germinal Emile Zola

Madam Bovary Gustave Flaubert

Feodor Dostoyevsky- Russian

George Eliot

The Shift Toward a More Secular World View

Scientific : complete reliance on empiricism (science)

Confidence in human intellect - rationality Driven by the notion of human progress Humanistic in focus Secular- no need for God Materialistic