Origins of the Modern Age Challenge Change and Resistance
During the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, scientists, political philosophers and social critics challenged the religious and political authorities with revolutionary ideas. In The Making of the Modern Age, Professor Haberman summarizes this challenge and resistance to change by claiming “there was a gulf between enlightened aspirations and political, intellectual and social realties. ... It prompted a change in humanity’s view of itself, nature, and God, partly due to the mathematical principles of natural philosophy which Isaac Newton wrote of in Principia Mathematica; new cosmology and new epistemology. ... Though Galileo was a respectful Christian his observations were seen as a challenge to the authority of the Bible and the Catholic Church. ... The Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment are credited with the defining developments of the modern age; modern science and modern state. ... -4- The changes and challenges introduced during the age of enlightenment opened the door to what we commonly know as the modern age. The growth and expansion of scientist’s comprehension of the universe, the Church’s resistance to change, the challenges of the political philosophers and social critics, and the introduction of enlightened despotism had all created the template for today’s society.