The Unenlightenment

 

The Enlightenment refers to the time in the intellectual history of the West from about 1700 forward which featured an emphasis on the use of reason and the methods of science in gaining knowledge.  Enlightenment thinkers are said to have believed that progress was possible in human affairs, and that certain values were universal.  The Founding Fathers of our Great Republic are generally considered men of the Enightenment.

It became the fashion starting in the 19th century to criticize the Enlightenment and the reliance on reason and science to explore the world and solve humanity's problems.  This critique became prevalent in the 20th century, the heyday of existentialism and postmodernism. It's unclear, to me at least, whether any alternative method of discovery or problem solving was ever seriously proposed by the critics.  But the First World War was thought to have demonstrated that reason was an inadequate guide, and humanity fundamentally irrational.

Attempts were made to harness scientific discoveries in the quantum world to establish the universe is disordered and makes no sense.  These discoveries were made by scientists, however, employing the methods of science. Just why these discoveries are thought to establish anything besides the fact we have much yet to learn is unclear.

Assume it's true that we're fundamentally irrational, and that the notion of continual progress through reason and science is baseless.  Assume intuition, the various forms of the so-called "Will", the Elan Vital or whatever other mysterious, unanalyzable forces you care to name play a part in our wretched lives.  It doesn't follow that reason and the scientific method have no part to play.  They may not have brought about universal peace but have been spectacularly successful in improving the quality of life and explaining how things work and what they are.  They may be misused, but remain most useful.

The Enlightment replaced a world view which relied on dogma, appeals to unquestionable authority and revelation.  Before it and setting the stage for it, the Renaissance revealed what had been achieved before the world was throttled by a narrow, intolerant and exclusive theocracy.

By abandoning the ideals of the Enlightment we're regressing. The New Dark Age dawns. The current regime appoints the equivalent of witch doctors to secure the health of the nation through fads and unfounded theories.  We embrace autocracy, being less and less inclined to think for ourselves. We're willing to accept untruths despite evidence to the contrary because they're consistent with dogma.

In a way, it's a lazy, comfortable path through life provided we're willing to accept our place and content to let our lords govern us and reap the benefits of our toil.