III. Age of Enlightenment

Age of Enlightenment

            When we consider the concept of enlightenment, the image of 18^th century philosophers standing around in a dusty library or gathered in the back corner of a coffee house come to mind. This image is far from the truth. Enlightenment began as a cultural movement in the 18^th century when intellectuals began to question man’s role in religion and traditions.  They publically debated the notion of advancing man’s thinking beyond the teachings of the church and state. It was a radical concept in those days. We as a modern society in the 21^st century need to expand on these concepts of enlightenment to address the issues that we are encountering on a global level. Historians link the enlightenment movement of the 18^th century to political, social and economic factors that lead to local revolutions, but in the 21^st century we need to become enlightened with how a global society needs to interact. Our society is challenged to advance not only individual national goals, but long-term global goals.

            In the YouTube videos of Taylor and Robinson, they each make interesting points that enlightenment is an ongoing process. The ideals proposed in the 18^th century still hold importance today. The videos point out that humans are always re-inventing their concepts of life and are adapting to the demands of social living. Taylor said that globalization and the concepts of addressing long-term concerns over national concerns have to become a priority. We need to acknowledge the problems, honor them with respect toward each other, and debate the solution to these problems. Robinson focuses on education and the global need to move away from the current educational system which was conceive during the industrial revolution. He makes a very good point when he stated that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should not be medicated and the world education system needs to discontinue the production line mentality of education. Divergent thinking should be encouraged with an education that will stimulate the mind into new directions. Robinson is correct when he says that for every question there can be more than one answer.

            The age of enlightenment may have begun with 18^th century society, but we must agree that we also need to be enlightened to address today’s social, political, and economic issues. There needs to be a revolution in the educational system. We need to change the attitude of looking at our own national concerns and move toward addressing the long-term concerns of the planet.      

Works Cited

Taylor, Matthew. “21st century enlightenment”. n.d. Sat. 25. Aug. 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=relmfu.

Robinson, Ken. “Changing Education Paradigms”. n.d.  Sat. 25. Aug. 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=youtu