Author ｜
Weigui Fang
Abstract ｜
The boundaries between different eras are often dynamic and subject to various factors, while also being contingent upon the perspective from which the issue is examined. There have been diverse perspectives on the dating of the “Modern Age” in world history. The Renaissance and humanism are generally regarded as the inception of the Modern Age, while the French Revolution or the end of Ancien Régime signifies its end. The Modern Age was an era of groundbreaking inventions and discoveries, a truly new era that people of this time already recognized themselves as living in. The interpretation of this new era, however, varies significantly. During the 17th and 18th centuries, a prolonged intellectual discourse emerged in Europe concerning whether the Ancients or the Moderns were superior, notably exemplified by “The Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns” in France. The views of those who prioritized the Moderns over the Ancients are regarded as a manifestation of progressive ideas prevalent during that era, thereby serving as a precursor to the Enlightenment movement in the 18th century. The quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns significantly reshaped the relationship of many Enlightenment thinkers and writers had with the preceding eras, not only stimulating discussions related to the Enlightenment but also consistently provoking reconsideration of Ancient and Modern issues. Furthermore, the dichotomy between the New and the Old invariably gives rise to debates. In contrast to the Enlightenment, German philosophical and aesthetic theories profoundly influence related discourses in other European nations from the late 18th century to the early 19th century and beyond, encompassing the comprehension of the concept of “modernity” and the contemplation on the modernity consciousness from historical and philosophical perspectives.
keywords ｜
Modern/New Age, Renaissance, The Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns, the concept of modernity