Humanity has produced countless historical documents and different philosophies which have influenced the way in which it has developed culturally. It is often difficult to ascertain which of these might be most important for understanding the place of humanity in the world today. If one considers contemporary politics, however, and understands the history of the last five hundred years, then I would argue that there are two philosophical events which may be seen to be most important. These are the Protestant Reformation and the development of Marxist philosophy. When taken together, both of these can be seen to have shaped the world in which we live today more than almost any other event.
Many people would not assume that a simple change in religious doctrine could produce results which would continue to have an effect hundreds of years later, however several studies and important works have shown that the Reformation had astonishingly far reaching consequences. Not only did it reach to the heart of Christian doctrine, but it may also be seen to have led to the development of a particular character type: that of the protestant capitalist. According to Max Weber, the injunction towards hard work, saving and material success which came about as a direct of Lutheran theology may be seen to have led directly to the development of a particularly hard-working and diligent individual associated with capitalist progress (2009, 52).
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Humanity in the 21st Century".
Without the formation of this individual, based on Lutheran thinking, then it would have been impossible to maintain the social relations that currently exist in America and in Europe. As such, what may appear to be historically distant set of changes in doctrine can be seen to be one of the most important cultural influences on the contemporary world.
The second most important influence on contemporary culture can be found in what some have argued is the antithesis to both religious thinking and to capitalism: the philosophy of Marxism. This philosophy developed in the 19th century and sought to criticize capitalism from the perspective of it being based on exploitation and inequality. As Marx formulated it in the “The Communist Manifesto,” it was a philosophy which saw class struggle as being at the heart of modern life an of the movement of history itself (2004, 1).
This philosophy was hugely influential around the world and proved to be a motivating force behind events such as the Russian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution and the many underground terrorist organizations which existed in America itself in the 1960s and 19170s. Although it could be argued that following the collapse of the Soviet Union communism is now no longer really present in the world, it is still the case that it forms a dominant cultural reference and that it continues to influence politics. Indeed, one need only consider how many times the word “socialist” is used in a negative sense in American politics in order to see the way in which it which Marx’s ideas continue to hold sway and to influence the world in which we live.
In conclusion, therefore, I would consider two of the most important philosophical and cultural events which influence our lives to be the Protestant Reformation and the development of Marxism. Both of these had a massive influence on the way in which individuals think about the world, and both can continue to exert an opposing influence on contemporary politics and on the lives on individual people. It is clear, in short, that we world in which we live would be literally unimaginable without them.
