Enlightenment and Modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enlightenment and Modernity - Essay Example Knowledge was further advanced through the use of scientific method. All these avenues provided the perfect chance for humanity to gain considerable insight into some of the unknown quarters of the world. Enlightenment is typically a process of promoting skepticism, science and intellectual interchange as opposed to the use of superstition and blind faith. Â  It is characterized by the flourishing of stronger social institutions which are well defined to address the needs of humanity. There is certainly a strong interconnection between enlightenment and modernity considering that both processes and periods were characterized by some kind of change towards organized life. As Kant defines enlightenment as a kind of release, it is seen that a great connection certainly exists between enlightenment and modernity considering that the latter aspect also connotes a process where man is removed from his social cocoon. Modernity in this regard can also relate to the intellectual culture and shift towards secularization and postindustrial life. Both enlightenment and modernity are basically associated with intellectual and cultural movements (Hoffman & Graham, 2006). Â  The connection between enlightenment and modernity can be seen in the different realms in which the latter word is used. In political parlance, modernity was initially seen as the radical shift from the Aristotelian mode of political analysis towards a more realistic political analysis. This thought mas initially advanced by people like Machiavelli who strongly believed that different situations in the course of leadership call for different approaches.