Modernity as Ethos

Many invocations of modernity refer not only to a series of events or a historical era but also, more broadly, to the form of consciousness or type of experience typical of that era. That is, modernity can be understood in part as a distinctive ethos or sensibility, the roots of which can be traced to the social and cultural transformations of the European Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries. Chief among these changes was a decline in the importance of religious dogma and superstition in favor of a worldview that placed human subjects at the center of their own destiny. Thus, the culture of modernity is characterized by a growing belief in the power of reason, rationality, and truth as well as a faith in the ability of science and technology to harness the powers of humans and nature for the betterment of society.

Another defining feature of modern consciousness is a particular awareness of time and history. Indeed, as derived from the Latin modernus, to be modern means to be living “in one’s own time” as opposed to the past. It has since evolved to describe a sense of being cognizant of one’s place within the movement of history and of continually progressing to overcome the limitations of the past. In a broader sense, then, the ethos of modernity entails a sense of looking toward the future and of embracing—even celebrating—the flux of restless change that is the hallmark of modern society.

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