Modern Philosophy a.

A period marked by the Fall of Constantinople (Istanbul; Byzantine Empire) and a general shift in the perception of truth. An understanding of God cannot be reached unless one started with human subjectivity/consciousness (Descartes: I am, I exist). Thus there is a general shift of focus of knowledge from God to the individual persons. b. The break of reason from faith marks the start of modernity. Reason is sufficient enough to inquire on its own. It was precipitated by the scientific revolution. Philosophy became anthropocentric. c. There are different factors contributive to this: i. Discovery of the new world the age of great voyages, ushered by the invention of modern navigation instruments that de-limited coastal navigation. The voyages led to a discovery of other races that challenged the order/mentality set in the medieval consciousness. This imminently led to a shift in thinking and means of control of the society. ii. Change in social structure this was mainly due to the discovery and use of gold deposits in America and the establishment of different colonies. A new breed of power political power emerged and challenged the prevalent thought fixation which sees the Church as the ultimate source of truth. iii. Reformation and Counter-Reformation the Catholic Church was challenged! There was a shift from one Christendom (one Kingdom for all Christians as signified by the Church) to the consciousness formation as different states in Europe. iv. Beginning of the national consciousness shift from being simply one Europe to the different states. There was likewise a shift from the popular use of Latin as the lingua franca to the use of the vernacular languages. v. Invention of the movable type (printing press) from the use of manuscript (simple use of hand in writing) to the massive production of books, especially the bible. Owing to this invention, the cost of books went down and hence there was a wider distribution and dissemination of ideas. vi. Sense of naturalism shift from being too eschaton-centered to the temporal. Hence there was a growing interest in the human body, in nature, in planets, etc. this period marked the onset of modern Medicine and Astronomy, a period which begun the age of modern experimental science. These fields initially got into trouble with the Church. vii. Individualism stress on the idea of the Renaissance man. There was a movement from the strong corporate sense of the medieval world to the individual. Philosophy then became a personal undertaking and not a corporate task, moving from the impersonal treatises to personal meditations and confessions d. There is no single cause or factor for which the shift in thought can be attributed. But, what is certain is that the confluence of these factors contributed to the shift

in the period of history. What is important to realize is that the world changed regardless of what caused it.