Passage to Modernity Dupre - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... At the early stages of modernity, artists still viewed themselves as creating in unison with nature; “mind and nature relate harmoniously to one another” (p. 49).
Moreover, nature’s perception began to change. Galileo expressed the idea of natural form in mathematical terms, “loosening the union between physical essence and artistic ideal” (p.51).
He found a systematic study of nature, rather than depending on direct observation. This notion of rational knowledge of the world become central to the transformation from medieval age to modernity.

In the emergence of modernity, chemistry played an important role towards the scientific revolution. Alchemy is frequently forgotten when we talk about the breakthroughs of science that changed our perception of the world. Alchemists believed in the harmony between the individual and the cosmos. “at the basis of the alchemical enterprise is the concept of a microcosmos perfectly tuned to the macrocosmos of nature”.

The notion that we are should interfere with natural processes in order to achieve harmony transforms the perception of nature. “rather than serving as nature’s assistant, the person now becomes its controller.” (p.54). There was a thorough rejection to the idea that the stars controlled man, that we were passively submitting to matter. Nevertheless, the interest in astrology was not completely eliminated; but as it happened with alchemy, they became less appealing at the face of new physical theories that rationally explained the universe. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More