Part 1 Summary
1. Most Western societies believed that human beings possessed an inherent value.
2. Because the value was inherent, it could not be taken away
A. A pre-Twentieth Century view of human nature
or destroyed by individuals, groups or governments.
a) Originated in the philosophies of Seventeenth Century
writers, thinkers, politicians and artists.
b) Attempted to redefine humanity in the absence of the
traditional notion of God.
1. Only the ability to reason gives dignity to human beings.
2. The denial of absolute truth led to a diminished faith in the
absolute value of each human being.
B. A Twentieth Century view of human nature
I. Introduction
a) One clear result has been the dehumanization of people.
b) This has contributed, in part, to extreme cruelty such as
that, for example, faced by the Jews in the 1930s and
1940s which has been the hallmark of the Twentieth
Century.
II. A Summary of Humanity’s Search for Meaning in the Modern Era
A. Rembrandt’s painting, The Shepherds Worship the Child (1646)
1. Illustrates the point that life has meaning because God has
given each human being a divine purpose for existence.
2. Conveys a message that undergirds almost all of classical
Western art up to the modern age.
B. Morton Schamberg’s sculpture, God (1917)
1. Portrayed God as impersonal and disconnected—only a
concept.
2. Suggested that God exerts no personal influence on
humankind or society or provides any intrinsic value to
people.
C. Francis Bacon’s painting, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a
Crucifixion (1944)
1. Portrayed modern humanity’s complete sense of isolation
from both God and fellow human beings.
2. Showed humanity in despair.
III. The Enlightenment and the French Revolution
A. Enlightenment philosophers affected culture and philosophy.
1. Rejected faith in church, Bible and monarchy
62. Believed humanity could create its own values and political
ideas without reference to the supernatural
3. Were committed to creating a man-made utopia
4. Began “Age of Reason”
5. Enlightenment philosophy, in part, resulted in the French
Revolution
B. Philosophers of the Enlightenment
1. François Voltaire (1694-1778)
a) Criticized Bible and organized religion.
b) Saw biblical God as cruel and homicidal.
Notes For Final
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Monday, March 07, 2011
9:51 AM
New Section 3 Page 1
