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> Any attempt to reverse englightenment values or even just slow down the effects could only degenerate swiftly into violence and make the fears come true. thi
by cat199 9y ago
> Any attempt to reverse englightenment values or even just slow down the effects could only degenerate swiftly into violence and make the fears come true.
this presumes enlightement values are correct, primarily/solely responsible for the current state of affairs, that the current state of affairs is in fact the best of all possibilities of the moment, that no other proposed philosophical/ethical system is superior, and a whole host of other things..
- truculation 9y agoNo no. In the dark days people believed various things were true because authorities said so - authorities such as the Church, Plato, Aristotle, whoever. People confused truth with source and also believed that some ideas were certain or self-evident. The Englightenment was a rebellion against these attitudes. In reality we are fallible and we now expect that some of what seem to be our best ideas are in fact wrong, including our current values. If this weren't the case, progress would not be possible, as I think you rightly acknowledge.