AI definition of Modernity

(Based on resources in my Digital Garden)

Modernity represents a significant historical transformation characterised by several key features:

1. A fundamental shift in human relationship with nature that began around 1450, marked by increased speed and scope of landscape transformation. This period saw the rise of "cheap nature" - treating nature's resources as free gifts to be exploited for capitalist growth.
2. The emergence of new ways of thinking, including:

• A mind-body split in philosophy that led to a quest for "objective" knowledge free from tradition and belief
• The concept of linear progress, replacing earlier cyclical views of time
• The rise of technological rationality, where all human-made things became viewed as products of pure reason

1. Social and economic transformations including:

• The development of wage labor and private ownership of resources
• The creation of centralized, large-scale factory production
• The emergence of a money-based economy rather than one based on labor or land

These changes were accompanied by significant social consequences, including the creation of new class structures and the rise of urban industrial centers.

Contested Nature of Modernity

The origin of modernity is contested:

• Emerged in mediaeval times as a response to the authority of the church.
• Emerged from the Renaissance (1600’s) or the Age of Enlightenment (1700’s).
• Late 15th century with the colonisation of the Americas and the slave trade.
• Seeds of modernity may even be found in antiquity with Greek philosophy.