Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift

Thesis statement

A paradigm shift or change in the thinking of people occurred as the world moved from the pre-modern to the modern era induced in effect due to the influences of the renaissance, the Reformation, and the scientific revolution. The influences of these processes emancipated in the enlightenment paradigm which was to generate new modern ideologies and ways of thinking. It saw a reversal in the earlier held belief in the authority of God and the rulers, and in the idea of humanism.

Discussion

The transformation of the pre-modern world into the modern world involved a series of steps and a process encompassing several centuries. It did not occur within the span of a few years but took a very long time. This long transformation oversaw several revolutions, wars, famines, cultural exchanges, and immense interactions. It also witnessed tremendous changes in science and technology. The change not only occurred due to the changes in technology, discoveries and inventions, but also in part due to the changes in the mindset of the people. Some historians have identified a few of these important processes that led to this paradigm shift as involving the renaissance period, the reformation, scientific revolution and enlightenment.

Starting with the first major referred process, renaissance, it initiated a massive change in the political, social and cultural landscape of the entire European continent. It commenced during the 1300s and is generally considered to be the period during 1350 to 1550. Some historians however suggest that it lasted till the beginning of the 1400s. This period saw the birth of humanism and most people have regarded it as they time during which the Europe which was plunged into darkness came out of is barbaric ways. It is also widely believed that the cultural exchanges with the Muslim Spain had an effect in bringing about this change in Europe. The word “renaissance” means reconstruction. This process saw a departure from the pre-modern beliefs in which the people held belief in the authority of the church. The power of the church that it exhibited in the social and political lives came to be regretted by many. One of the powers that the church displayed was in the interpretation of religion. The Bible was written in Latin, which was a language that the average person could not comprehend. As a result, the people came to rely on the church in matters relating to religion. This was one area where later Martin Luther was to disagree. The wave of Protestantism saw a translation of the bible into local languages which the people could understand. It resulted in severely restricting the authority and power of the church in religious matters. This process was a cultural movement that began with Italy and soon spread to other countries such as England, Germany and France. It is considered to be the period during which intellectual thinking and learning and art started flourishing after the middle Ages. It was during this period that Christopher Columbus discovered ...