The Shaping of the Modern World: Rise of Technology Essay

The world is what it is today due to the Industrial Revolution and the historical Enlightenment era. The rise of technology improved people's lives. The introduction of new innovative materials, education, science, and steam power resulted in improved efficiency and permitted more rapid manufacture of goods. Changes in the modern world were influenced by the triumph of economic development, society, and technologies. Not only was the global world shaped by the ideas of the enlightenment period but Marxist ideologies, and Christianity also contributed to the state of the modern society. This essay discusses some of the aspects that contributed to the shaping of the contemporary world.

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The enlightenment was a period of great scientific discovery. During this era, notable progress was seen in the acceptance of the scientific approach: the notion that knowledge was to be based on measurement and observation (Mokyr, 2010). The Enlightenment was followed by the "Age of reason" where the thinkers conflicted with the ideas of the church. With the assumption that unscientific past and superstition was the influence of building a world based on Biblical ideologies, these thinkers adopted a Deism religion (Noll, 2009). They assumed the philosophy of an existing supreme being but rejected the Bible's revelation. The development of the Roman Catholic Church's power and rule influenced education, art, lifestyle, and the people's philosophy. This period opened the doors for the church to become a superpower that some believe the development of the modern world is as a result of Christianity (Noll, 2009). Following this era, there was a rapid improvement in the industrialization of society that we see today.

Together with the growth in material and technology, came the rise of theorists like Karl Marx who sought to explain man and his world. Marx was entirely materialistic and perceived history as a struggle between classes. He foresaw the certainty of class inequality and the final victory of Marxism as the primary form of social development (Williams,1980). The Marxism ideology holds that in the early years, society was built upon a class structure. The aristocrats who were the landowners used their servants to work on the farms. They all depend on one another (Williams, 1980). With the advent of industries, the middle class began growing and becoming more substantial. The super-rich controlled the world with an iron fist. Immediate replacements were made in cases where one got hurt, sick, or complained. These individuals were part of the new working class that is visible in contemporary society where there is inequality in class distribution and power.

Generally, we see that powerful individuals and some events shaped the modern world. The enlightenment era had an impact on the whole world. It influenced the growth of nations and the movement towards a technological age. New technology, science, and education were convenient to industry owners since they were able to sell products at lower costs thus fetching more wealth in return. However, individuals were taken advantage of,and the working conditions were poor. But then, if it were not for this era, we would be living in quite a different universe. Individuals started learning from their mistakes with the governments taking the responsibility of protecting the individual's lives, and the world started moving into a modern, safer place. The ideas of the enlightenment, Christianity, and class stratification had a significant impact on several aspects of the world, shaping it into the modern world we live in today.

References

Mokyr, J. (2010). The Enlightened economy an economic history of Britain 1700-1850. Yale University Press.

Noll, M. A. (2009). The new shape of world Christianity: How American experience reflects global faith. InterVarsity Press.

Williams, R. (1980). Problems in materialism and culture (p. 31). London: Verso.