Shaping of the Modern Mind

Writing in the 1950s, Crane Brinton argues in The Shaping of the Modern Mind that it is the Enlightenment that has most influenced the 20th century mindset. Democracy, individual liberty, the natural goodness of man, and a belief in progress are the key elements of this mindset. A half century later, I wonder if the Cold War, globalization, and post-modernist discourse have done much to alter that mindset.

9/11 and the Crash of 2008 remind us that history did not end with the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Not only is the triumph of democracy and free markets seen as no longer inevitable, some even argue that China's combination of one party rule and state intervention in the economy is a viable alternative model. Genocide in Rwanda and Serbia, and terrorism in the past few years also cast doubts to the belief that man is naturally good and that progress is certain. Post-modern disdain for grand narratives have led many to distrust institutions such as the church and the nation, leaving many individual identities without cultural moorings.

Yet I suspect that the desire for democracy remains fervent as recent protests in Iran suggest; individual liberties are still an ideal for many, but it is by no means a universal goal; man wishes to be good, but is still capable of unspeakable evil; progress continues, but it can just as easily be stopped or reversed. The modern mind remains optimistic, but it has been tempered by the reality of evil, and the precariousness of progress.