We need a modern Age of
Enlightenment. We are living on the cultural movement based out of the 18th
century. Do not get me wrong; many great things have come from this time in
history where society reformed using science and reason. It came from some of
the most creative minds in history, such as Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke,
and influenced great men like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. It has
led to documentations like the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of
Rights, which formed the foundation of everything we hold dear in the US.
As Sir Ken Robinson states in "Changing Education Paradigms",
"The current system (of education) was designed and conceived for a
different age... in the intellectual culture of The Enlightenment ... and the
industrial revolution." He asks how we are to educate children to take our
place in the economies of the 21st century, while not knowing what changes it
may incur in the coming weeks. And yet schools are like factories where
students are processed through using an out of date method of education by age
groups ('batches') rather than in groups by discipline. These are things we
have to make changes in and make society adapt to us rather than conforming to
easier, wrong route. On the outside our current system appears to work and
people as a whole are comfortable with the regularity of the cycle all people
go through as they develop from youth to adulthood. This comfort zone within
the generations in charge of our society is what holds us back from change and
adapting. Sir Robinson hopes to get over the old conceptions and not just be
creative with unique ideas with values, but instead steer towards being divergent
thinkers that see more answers and possibilities to a question.
Another view Enlightenment
comes from Matthew Taylor who speaks about 21st
Century Enlightenment. He believes that we need to see the world (21st
century) from a new perspective, and understand who we are, who we need to be
and who we should aspire to be. He thinks we can do so based on new insights
into human nature. And based on his statements I believe this can be achieved
and agree empathy is one of many key factors to bring about change. There needs
to be more focus on the concern of others, and not make it about "me, me,
me". Actually there needs to be a careful balance of the two.
Society has strayed away from
the old-fashioned ways of a tight community, where people cared about the well
being of their neighbors. There are still many smaller towns that keep to these
ways of living but as a whole, more so larger cities and metropolises, everyone
is moving at a fast pace, living their mundane routines, to engulfed in their
personal needs to notice their surroundings and the other people within. I feel
sorry for people who live that way, too busy to stop and look up at the sky,
feel the breeze on their face and feel blessed to be alive, embracing the
unknown.
I could not agree more with
Mr. Taylor when he says we need to get our heads out of the self-help books and
surround ourselves and interact with good, positive people. I weeded out the
pessimists and negative acting people from my life over the years and have
found myself at a more advantageous point, where I am more motivated and seek
to do more things for myself and my those I hold dear to me. Rather than just
sit at home or interact on my cell phone, I go socialize and make new memories
out in public, while sharing a meal with family, or while on the lake or hiking
with friends. These are memories that will last longer that any TV sitcom or
several traded text messages.
Although I do not have the mental
capacity to fully understand enlightenment and its affect on our society, nor
will I know how to modernize it in the 21st century, I still attempt to
familiarize myself with it. I researched it reading from multiple sources and
various interpretations. What I found was usually beyond my comprehension. When
reading Wikipedia's entry on the Age of Enlightenment, I came across a method of influenced
thinking through means of a 'public sphere', mainly influenced by Jürgen
Habermas. It intrigued me, and so again I started digging for more
interpretations I could better understand. The public sphere allows for
conditions to discuss public issues required for Enlightenment ideas to be shared
and spread. It allows for the expression of public concern. And the end result
was the breaking down of "barriers between cultural systems, religious
divides, gender differences and geographical areas. This method helped in the
development of many political infrastructures, some of which are still used
today, as well as improvements on economic expansion and communication, to name
a few.
I believe the public sphere is
slightly being wounded with such things as PR, and different restrictions put
on us by those who think they know what is best. And yet, there is hope for its
restructuring with things such as blogging, which allows for everyone to
express themselves without being censored. We can share our views and debate
them in a more modern public domain, one for any and all to see at any time
with the click of a mouse.
I believe as the experts do, that
there is hope for change. There can be an updated version of enlightenment
developed to better fit the 21st century. It is going to take a lot of
self-awareness by the individual and the tolerance of change by the many.
Matthew Taylor believes it will "take relying more on conscious decision
making, rather than responding to the world around us," and with the
expansion of empathy's reach. Sir Ken Robinson says, "It is about conforming
... changing the paradigm by doing the opposite of standardization." We
need to continue to improve our communication and share our public concerns.
And what better way to do this than by reaching out to the masses with the
technologies that are continually being invented and reinvented. It's not going
to happen overnight, and I doubt it will change much in my lifetime, but
progress is possible. It can happen if we want it and by integrating it little
by little, one thing at a time. All it takes a group of individuals willing to
try. It has been done before, and if anyone understands that, it is
anthropologist, Margaret Mead who put it best. "Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the
only thing that has."
Additional
sources:
Public Sphere
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Andrew -- excellent summary, critical reflection and connection to your experiences/knowledge. For what it is worth I believe you have the capacity to understand all of this and much more -- thank you for all three of your responses!
ReplyDeleteDo you know why there is a big white out section in this post -- was curious what you were going to say there (reminded me of a redacted government document ;D)
I am not sure what happened there but I just noticed it and had to clear the formatting issue. Whatever is was, is gone now. And I am all too familiar with redacted documents. I may have to keep that in mind for possible writings in my future to add realism or comedy to them. Thanks for the comment. I think I am capable of understanding the topic, but it would take extensive time and research that I am not sure I would like to give. Ha ha.
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