How Transformational Change The Common Ideologies And Understanding Of Society As Well As The Natural World

This also changed during the Paradigm Shift as people made new discoveries, and started to believe more in science. When these discoveries were presented to the people, and proven, people began to question their religion. This is connected to the church because when people questioned their religion, this led to the people doubting the church, as previously, the church was their main source of information. In the Early Medieval time, from about 500 to 1000 AD, there was not much technological or scientific advances. After a few years, from 1000-1300 AD, Western Europe began to trade goods and resources with other countries, which brought back ideas from other parts of the world. These ideas were necessary to bring Western Europe into the modern times. This new in flow of capital and goods led to the development of a new economical system: Capitalism.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.

Before the start of the Renaissance, the Catholic Church influenced every aspect of society. The Renaissance and it’s ideals changed this. The Humanist movement opposed the Catholic Church’s involvement in the lives of the citizens. Humanists advocated for personal independence and individual expression, an idea that directly opposed the Catholic Church’s ideals. The Church believed that citizens should dedicate their lives to the service of God and by extension, the Church. The introduction of the idea that the Church does not control every aspect of society was revolutionary to Early Modern Western Civilization because it allowed people to pursue things that they had not been previously able to pursue because of the limitations the Catholic Church placed upon them. Although only the wealthy were able to dedicate all of their time to these pursuits, there were still significant advancements in art, literature, and science, all of which impacted Early Modern Western Civilization.

The word power is a term that has various different meanings philosophically, socially, religiously, etc., which is why it is crucial to define it before discussing the Boston Catholic Church’s power. Power is defined in various ways, but the definition that is utilized in this essay is when “an individual or institution [has] the ability to achieve something, whether by right or by control or influence. [It] is the ability to mobilize economic, social, or political forces in order to achieve a result.” It is also important to understand power in the terms of effect and affect. Some may argue that in order for something to have power, the institution or person must have the ability to both effect and affect, affect meaning to have an

According to historian Jonathon Israel, “until the 1650s Western civilization was based on a largely shared core of faith, tradition and authority.” These Enlightenment ideas, he argues, were what “caused the change that eventually led to the revolutions of the latter half of the 18th century and the early 19th century” (Israel, 2002). No matter how people choose to define it, the amount of damage that Enlightenment caused the Catholic church, directly and indirectly, was beyond repair. Concealed deep inside the very core of the Enlightenment was the impression that man’s pursuit and obtainment of knowledge was dominate to religion. This means that if someone was not able to prove something by their system of analysis or reasoning, then it must not exist.

Who is in charge of society? Does the church or the government have the final say in all matters? This debate was a popular question throughout the Renaissance and Reformation that lead many theologians to begin to question the Pope’s authority in the church and over kings. The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages was influencing nearly every area of life, causing certain monarchs and scholars to question the validity of the church and the Pope’s power. “Church problems and corruptions allowed scholars to challenge the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic Church and official theologians” (Section 2, 2013).

In the classical era, intellectuals considered themselves free from all the restrictions of the middle ages. This was the Age of Enlightenment or also known as the Age of Reasoning. The church remained with some influence during this time. However, individuals focused on the value of the common person and the power of human reasoning in overcoming the problems of the world. This revolution in thinking led to much conflict between the old order and new ideas. Thus, The French and American Revolutions were stimulated by this new attitude in the last half of this era. During this time, towns grew, trade increased, and many became very wealthy. The middle class had more economic power than they had ever had before. Scientific advancements proceeded to develop at a very fast pace with the creation of the steam engine, steamboat, the cotton gin, the electric battery and publications of electricity to

1); also, science “confers no special authority to answer a nonscientific question” (pp.1). Scientists claim that science is attacked from two sides, the fundamentalism of Christianity, and the humanities. Nevertheless, for the humanities to respect and distinguish the sciences is not enough, they need, “the humanities to submit to the sciences and be subsumed by them” (pp.3). If God exists, is for philosophy to determine, not science. Traditional religions and cultures influence believer’s interpretation of understanding and are traditions of value. As a result, the relationship between value and fact in these traditions is so strong that values often overpower facts. The study of greater ideas about life are common in science, but these ideas cannot be only based or accepted completely on scientific grounds; a scientific viewpoint may not be as broad as many think. Scientists cannot note the way natural sciences and humanities differ, since humanities would have to be explainable by science. Besides, humanities do not advance, progress, or study the way sciences do, the humanities are a study of the sciences inwardness. The central goal of scientism is the transformation of non-scientific dialogue into scientific dialogue. Meanwhile, respected

The church also controlled the amount and type of knowledge people could possess. The church believed that true knowledge could only be attained through divine revelation. Any type of teaching that implied that God was not the creator was strictly condemned and the writer was often severely punished. Even with the domination of the church, the number of well-educated people began to rise. The increase in commercial and social interests allowed for more universities to be constructed and educational activities became more readily available to the public. The more educated people no longer heeded the strict teachings of the church, but could now comprehend a more

During the period of the Renaissance, the Church was seen as the supreme power and ruler of the land. It was a machine, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue and serving as the ultimate authority for all things regarding life. Throughout the duration of this course, we have witnessed society shift farther and farther from the Church. During periods like the Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and the French Revolution, the previously uncontested and unrivaled Church received opposition and resistance. These movements are imperative to see the spirit of the period and to see groups rise out of their apprehensiveness and timidity and take a stand for what

The Catholic Church is an ancient community that has been studied and analyzed since it’s beginnings, over two-thousand years ago. When I was fourteen, I chose independently to be apart of this community and learn it’s specific, complex structure. It took me about five years to really get a grasp on the functions of the Catholic Church and the community it provides. Entering, I believed the Church was simply a place people gathered to worship, but over time it proved to be much more than that. Being a member of the Catholic community meant, not only, being literate in the language of the Church and the sacred, fundamental texts but additionally, being literate in the specific genres that help the Catholic community accomplish its goals. Some

Some of the new scientific discoveries consisted of theories which went against the churches beliefs. One theory which was proven true about

Polanyi argues that the modern market economy and nation-state are symbiotic parts of a market society, rather than discrete and independent elements. This is an important distinction since market societies transform the perspective of governments and societies from viewing people as social, political beings to mere biological commodities. More importantly, Polanyi suggests that the modern economic problem (both in his time and ours) was a historically contingent phenomenon rooted within specific and deliberate political decisions made over time. In other words, the creation of a market society in England, and its subsequent spread, characterized by laissez-faire economic policies was a political, as opposed to natural, decision for organizing society to achieve specific social ends. Though couched as economic history, Polanyi’s work is a

It is human nature to question our reality in an attempt to better understand our surroundings. Science, for me, is the devotion to better understand the world we live in, rooted in the natural and inevitable questions that all humans ask themselves. I believe that by answering the most fundamental questions, the potential technological advancements are much greater than that generated by applied engineering. Nowadays we can thank Einstein 's theory of relativity for

What is science? What is natural science? What is social science? The following words were defined using Merriam-Webster Dictionary.According to The Merriam –Webster Dictionary Science is defined as the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.