Modern America (US History)

    “so what?” In what ways did anything you read or watched help you better understand the nature of “Modernity”?  Having reviewed the writings and especially the audio podcast, the idea of history has changed for me. It is no longer as black or white as I had originally conceived. Seeing how so many other nations and mindsets all influenced and contributed to this concept of modernity was shocking, to say the least. The exposure to detailed history has changed my way of thinking about how the world came to be that way it is now. To expand one's knowledge brought so many new theories and ideas. People became thirsty for more and more opportunities in life. Life itself became something to learn as much as possible to "enlighten" one's self. So much that people learned vastly to try and find a place in the world and to improve upon the current status of life. In the article titled Discover Copernicus in Krakow, it says "C opernicus left no stone unturned - eventua...

 Part 1 In what ways do you see Enlightenment ideals expressing themselves in this foundational document of American government?  Here are a few of the ideals I found to be important regarding self-expression written no paper to follow by the American citizens: For me, the Declaration of Independence speaks not only to a collective, a nation, but it also speaks directly to one person, you and I. It speaks specifically of the tyrannical deeds and actions of a British King towards the colonies. But more importantly, it speaks to me and you. To understand that WE as individuals have rights, and a voice to be heard in written word supporting each and every one of us is something that is very personal. This strikes me to the core of who I am... not where I am from, or where did my family comes from (because all of our families and not from this land unless we are Native American).  Here are some ideals that are important to me: "That whenever any Form of Government becomes des...

Is the human flourishment trite, old fashioned? Steven Pinker wrote an article outlying the historical bounds that we as humans accomplished during this period in history. He challenges the reader to acknowledge all of the creations and achievements that we have accomplished. "with a flick of a finger and waste disappears with another, pills that erase a painful infection", "the world's knowledge and culture available in a shirt pocket" shows how far humans have come and to not doubt the validity of our achievements to date. Acknowledging that we are in a period of unchartered expansions of academics, science, and freedom of our thoughts, regardless of the political stances governments take. " Enlightenment’s motto, he proclaimed, is “Dare to understand!” and its foundational demand is freedom of thought and speech".  (Pinker) To know and understand the four themes of enlightenment is to help advance our societies to a new level which has already begun...

   What is Enlightenment? Is what I like to call the age of self-actualization is how I would like to define it, which is the period trailing the Renaissance into the Middle Ages.      Having viewed and studied history throughout the time periods, this was time for a revolution. Revolution of the mind, asking ourselves the bigger questions, and trying to combine what was civilizations have learned so far and mapping out our next steps.   Where does it fit in the broader picture of European and/or World history? Understanding that many of the ideals we claim to hold dear and true are not from the Western world. In fact, it is more Asiatic (EuroAsia), the between of outer Europe and the beginnings of Asia. This is what many historians called the old world (East meets West). The old world it was, the beginning of written history, scholars, libraries, monuments to human achievements, and the quest of immortality in seeking god-like status. Understan...

 In Hamlet, the murdered king was deceived by his brother who lusted over his wife. Leaving the princes Hamlet to deal with the ghostly apparition and the anger he had inside drove him to levels of insanity. Having the ghost of your father pointing out the cruel and violent death over and over set Hamlet into a paranoid schizophrenia psychosis guesting everything that was happening. The way that others treated him in the royal palace was to guide (force) him in directions that would cause him to become accepting of what happened and become a tool of the royal family. He took his free time and drilled down the many traitorous things that lead to the demise of his father and the steps taken to claim the throne. The thought of demons and devils playing tricks on his mind came to light very frequently, shifting eyes from friends and the royal court fueled his uncertain heart and questioning his own sanity and demonic tortures. The "help" of his friends was not always helpful to H...