Romanticism is a reaction against the enlightenment.
In the late 1900's there was positivist rejection of the Enlightenment.
This was called the crisis of the "fin de siecle" the crisis of the "end of the century"
This crisis was accelerated by the first World War in the early 20th century, but had begun before that time.
Modernism and Post-Modernism began at the end of the nineteenth century, but many people still believed in positivism: science, reason, and progress
Modern means post 1500's
Modernism has two elements:
1) skepticism of positivism, that reason and observation could be used to reveal truth.
2) tends to question the idea of progress, that human society gets better over time.
What caused this rejection of positivism?
1) Darwin is disturbing, because he questions the notion of progress. His ideas conflicted with Christian beliefs.
2) The development of the science of experimental psychology: called into question that reason was exclusive to human beings.
Wilhelm Wundt (1825 - 1920) Showed that the minds of animals and the minds of human beings are basically alike. -- Human beings are not special.
Ivan Pavlov (1849 - 1936) Pavlov's Dogs. He believed in a conditioned response. Thus, human beings may be conditioned, too.
Sigmund Freud -- (1856 - 1939) Father of psychoanalysis. he argued for the existence of a subconscious . . . that causes us to act in certain ways without our knowing it. Therefore, his goal was to get rid of something harmful in the subconscious and make it conscious. Freud basically shows that a lot of human beings' thought and behavior is not necessarily due to reason.
What underlaid the Enlightenment? Scientific Revolution:
1. Time was constant.
2. Matter was dead (unliving)
3. Concerned with things that could be measured.
Einstein's Theory of Relativity
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Matter could be converted into energy. Matter was not stable. Time was not constant, but relative to one's position.
Astronauts age more slowly on spaceships.
This is disturbing, because it meant that Newtonian science was wrong.
Furthermore, the fact that itme is variable makes talking about cause and effect meaningless.
Reactions against Positivism:
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) He died before einstein's theory, but he did witness Darwin. He is credited with the idea of Existentialism. He was a German philosopher and professor. He was the founder of existentialism. He was preoccupied with the independence of the individual.
1. He said that this machine-like, mechanical universe was one in which humans had no freedom. 2. He also rejected thenotion of a basic human nature that we all shared. Thus, he is rejecting some fundamental Enlightenment thought.
In fact, according to Nietzsche, reason could limit an individual's development. How could he say this? Because Nietzsche felt that the best that a person could do was create himself.
The desire to create oneself was called the "will to power."
Nietzsche rejected reasoning, because reason limits the choices that an individual can make. Nietzsche said that if we were all perfectly reasonable/rational that we would all be alike.
Ubermenschen -- "super mean" who would rule society because they were unhindered by rational thoughts. This was Nietzsche's idea.
How is he against the Enlightenment?
1. Rejects notion of mechanist Universe
2. Rejects notion of power of human reason.
ART
Impressionist Painting-- idea that the painter should paint an object as it is 'perceived." What "impression" the artist gets from the art. It is still an attempt to convey the truth.
Monet "House of Parliament" (1904)
MODERN ART: 1. Expressionism 2. Cubism
The artist is not trying to show a world of truth, but the artist expresses his feelings.
Edward Munch, "The Scream" (1895)
Cubism
George Braque (1882 - 1963) "Composition of the Ace of Clubs"
Braque is trying to show you something that is in his mind.
All of this lead to a deep feeling of angst among many thinkers (Note: not all thinkers.)
Traditional life had been undermined by French and Industrial Revolution.
anomie
____- said that his society suffered "anomie" This sense that life was meaningless.
1. People have no faith in anything. 2. They have no sense of connection with other people.
This attack on positivism sought to make people free.
Jean Paul Sartre (d. 1970s)
Thought: "Why not commit suicide?" If there is no cause and effect, if there is no God, if there is no sense of connection, and if there is no faith.
Both modernism and post-modernism originated in the fin de siecle crisis. Modernism was only dominant first, early 20th century, Post-Modernism, was dominant from the 1950's on.
Nietzsche was also a professor of languages -- He observed that Greek ideas of right and wrong were essentially different from present - day notions.
arete-- Greek notion of excellence.
For Greeks, arete was being stronger than people.
Nietzsche said that Christianity was a slave morality, a moraliity for weaklings, turn the other cheek, etc.
Nietzsche's conclusion was that what a word means is dependent on the time/place/culture.
Because, what was excellent then, may not be excellent now. Or what was excellent there, may not be excellent here. What was excellent in this culture, may not be excellent in that culture.
Ferdimant de Saussure semiotics
All that we perceive is constructed by the language that we have available. You can not conceive "freedom" without a word for "freedom."
semiotics -- how words or signs relate to each other, NOT the outside world.
Post-modernists -- do not believe in a true knowledge. They believe that all we do is that we use words or symbols to refer to other words and symbols.
Post-modern art tends to be very self-referential. So, what we tend to get is 'art about art." This kind of art also tends not to take itself so seriously.
Post-modern art does not seek at truth, but tends to be humorous.
Post-modern thought has some consequences:
1. different cultures are only different systems of languages. 2. Post-modernism has also shown that people can use language to dominate other people.
woman/womyn
Post-modernists argue that blacks and whites argue for different truths.
If one can not get rid of bias, then people should share rights. People should have the same rights.
Post-Modernists think that _____.
LECTURE SUMMARY
This lecture was about the fin de siecle crisis. That is, the crisis of the end of the century. This crisis was very important, because, at the turn of the century, there was a rejection of the Enlightenment and its principles, and moves were made to go in other areas, such as Modernism, and later, post-Modernism. This was a very grevious crisis, because reason was questioned, and the total idea of progress was reduced to a fable. Art began to reflect this trend, as well ats prominent thinkers, such as Wundt, Pavlov, Einstein, etc.
