The Roots of Individualism in Europe - Essay Example

Individual identity in Europe Lecturer’s Due Individual identity stands as one of the two categories of identity. Philosophers divide identity into two categories, individual identity and social identity. Individual identity refers to what defines one particular person among other people. In Europe, major changes took place in the 18th century. The European mind has transitioned from the rigid, hierarchical society to the democratic and individualist mind. The roots of individualism in Europe during the 5th to 15th century and thoughts of independence were viewed as scornful. The Roman Catholic Church condemned any idea deviating from the status quo as unorthodox. Some of the consequences include either excommunication from the society or death. However, as the 16th century approached, conditions arose for the birth of individualism. Various phenomena such as the Renaissance, Reformation and rise of capitalism provide evidence of individualism. Different factors led to the rise of individualism such as, economy, religion, education, capitalism and social changes. The weakening of the Catholic Church paved way for democracy in the area; the renaissance era became the origin of individualism in Europe (Sayre chapter 7). Issues such as corruption among church leaders led to the abolishment of Catholic ultimate authority. As the church power diminished, so did its connection to the state. Feudalism decreased giving opportunities to new politics. Reemphasis of the Greek and Roman texts led to the destruction of the absolute power of the church. The Noble class no longer held power over the minority. The fall of the Catholic Church led to the development of secular attitude among individuals in Europe. Individualism through secular thoughts enhanced people to think and reason in a worldly way. Pico della Mirandola in his text ‘Oration on the Dignity of Man’ captures that God gave man the ability to think and reason on his own. Secondly, social changes also enhanced personal identity in Europe. Turmoil during the Late Middle Ages led to the downfall of the noble class in the society. During the early ages, most governments in Europe constituted of the rich including leaders of the church. Increase in rates of inflation led to a decrease in wealth among the noble. By 1450, most peasants had bought their freedom from the lords by paying fixed rent instead of labor. The fall of a noble society offered an opportunity for the stepping in of other political powers. Social freedom gave peasants the chance to improve their living standards, which eventually allowed them to gain autonomy. The middle class benefited from selling product to the nobles in the society by either getting loans from them or selling products and services at a profit price. By the 1500s, peasants in Western Europe possessed their own land and the middle class status grew steadily. The need for capitalism is another factor that led to the development of personal identity in Europe. Capitalism refers to the process of investing large sums of monetary fund towards economic development and entrepreneurship. In Europe, the most prominent activities include agriculture and manufacturing. However, between the 5th and 15th centuries, guilds controlled all production activities. Wealthy investors had peasants produce textiles in the countryside, in order to break the monopoly and increase private ownership of factories. Secondly, they developed the law of supply and demand as a way to determine prices of products in a bid to neglect the fixed prices set by guilds. The church stood as the center of education throughout the Middle Ages in Europe. Most of the books were of a religious nature. Few people paid attention Greek and Roman texts stashed in monasteries. However, all that changed during the Renaissance era. With the increase in wealth in the nations, people could access more books and education materials. Enhanced by the need to learn about the world of business and politics, people embraced secular education by building up more schools and colleges. Gained knowledge and literacy aided in developing a sense of individualism and liberty among the people in Europe. Education also opened up people to more ideas on how to live democratically and self-civilized without the need of autocratic rule. Revival of the economy drove people from depending on the Church to depending on themselves. The weakening of the church paved way for the rise of powerful monarchies in the western side of Europe; which aided in safeguarding peace and promoting trade and commerce. With the peasant’s free and owning land, agricultural activities increased, boosting the economy hence creating a continuous cycle of increased independence. A rise in Europe’s population from 50 million to 70 million between 1450 and 1450 reveals that a high standard of living developed within the society. Effects of individualism It led to the rise of secularism, which means living and thinking in the earthly way (Sayre chapter 10). With the rise of individualism and liberty people began to think and behave in a secular way; each and every person in the society had their own perception and views about the world. After the middle Ages, most people found life worth living for and not just in preparation for the afterlife. As people opened up more to the worldly thoughts and deviated to other things such as secular paintings, they realized there is more to life than just the afterlife. Individualism led to humanism. Humanism refers to the view of human beings as intelligent creatures who can reason on their own (Sayre chapter 8). Before the birth of self-identity, the church ruled everyone’s thoughts by stipulating how people should do things as per God’s words. Philosophers describe that human beings ceased from being pawns and embraced their own freedom to choose their own destiny. People started using societal laws unlike before when the church provided the only laws required. Additionally, humanism also aided in boosting individualism. Philosophers believe that human beings can make great accomplishments. People shifted from communal thinking to self-thinking, which led to the discovery of great people such as Leonardo da Vinci and helped them live to their full potential. Enhancement of skepticism among individuals, which led to questioned authority and curiosity. With both individualism and humanism, the ability of human beings to reason on their own paved way for doubt about church laws and absolute rules and values. Unlike during the Middle Ages where the noble people in the society ruled, with the rise of individualism people started appreciating their own position in the society disregarding feelings of subordination or inferiority towards the rich. Individualism brought about equity among members of the society and gave peasants a sense of belonging to the society. Moreover, access to education provided everyone the option to fit in the society and to rise to the level of other middle class earners. Individualism gave rise to social freedom in the European society. Before the 16th century, many people felt subjective to the Roman Catholic Church and the government. However, as the church became corrupt giving men the ability to buy their freedom it weakened. Eventually, both the church and state’s abolishment gave people a chance to think and reason on their won. People could socialize without any form of condemnation or facing serious consequences. People developed freedom of speech and expression. Other factors such as the development of the printing press, gave people the opportunity to share their views through newspapers. In other words, individualism gave people the freedom of self-expression through voluntary morals set by the person. In conclusion, individualism grew starting from the beginning of the 16th century, in Europe. It granted the European society a sense of political, economic and social freedom. Factors such as education, capitalism, economic revival and social changes led to the state of self-liberty. As a result, individualism brought about rise of new political figures and democracy. Moreover, people began having secular perspectives apart from the already existent ‘preparation for the afterlife.’ Self-identity grew across the globe and still progressively manifests itself as an essential tool towards personal success or sometimes failure. Work cited Sayre, Henry M., and Henry M. Sayre. Discovering the humanities. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2013. Print. Read More