“May you live in interesting times” is supposedly an ancient Chinese curse. Interesting times bring upheaval, which is scary.
Curse or blessing, we are living in interesting times. A couple of centuries from now, historians might well locate the end of the Modern Era in 2024 or hereabouts.
The Modern Era, which grew out of the Enlightenment’s reaction against monarchy and religion, should probably be traced all the way back to Martin Luther in 1519. Luther was a deeply religious rebel. He was so sure the Catholic Church was wrong, he broke off and formed his own church.
Luther was a precursor to the Enlightenment philosophes a couple of centuries later who, convinced that religion itself was wrong, inaugurated the secular Modern Era, in which democracy was dominant and people believed that humanity as a whole could become better, morally and ethically, than before, a betterment to be accomplished through education, tolerance and rational thinking.
This belief was called Progress, and for a long time, I believed it, as did many millions of others. For me, this belief began to collapse around the time Trump was elected in 2016. If he’s elected again this year, which looks very possible, I’ll consider it the final nail in the Modern Era’s coffin.
If Trump does win, it will be the ultimate revenge of religion over the Enlightenment philosophes and their naive optimism that humanity could improve. Trump would never have won in 2016, and he wouldn’t stand a chance this year, without the backing of so-called Evangelical Christians, an ill-defined group that traces its roots to Martin Luther and beyond. If Conservative Christians sack democracy, won’t it be like the barbarians sacking Rome, the end of an era? Are we in for a new Dark Ages of fascism and religious authoritarianism, a brutal, Taliban-like reign of misery, quashed dreams, and draconian punishments, as depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale?
I hope not. But to fend off anti-modern forces in the longer term, we’re going to need a better foundation for believing in, and advocating for, Progress than bland platitudes about education and toleration currently being trampled by the MAGA mob.
Any ideas? Please comment below.
Point of information. Rome did not fall when it was sacked by Barbarians in the 5th century. Rather by the time the Barbarians arrived en masse the Empire had been declining for well over a century or more. The society no longer had the vitality necessary to maintain a strong defense so the Barbarians basically just walked in.
Idk why you followed me. You and are I living on different planets.