Modern Philosophy:
Its Characteristics And Consequences
Maryam
Jameelah Begum
Modernism
is a militant revolt against religion and all the spiritual values it
represents. This revolt had its seeds in the European Renaissance, especiallyin
the unscrupulous political philosophy of Machiavelli. It burst into full bloom
in the 18th century. French philosophers of the “Enlightenment” and
culminated in 19th century Europe with Darwin, Marx and Freud. From
its birth — place in Western Europe this malignant cancer has invaded every
country in the world, destroying the great indigenous cultures of Asia. Indeed
it is hardly an exaggeration to claim that modernism has become the prevailing
universal faith. All who embrace this creed are eulogized as enlightened and
progressive while those who are reluctant are stigmatized as backward, medieval
and reactionary.
The
cardinal dogma of modernism is its repudiation of the Hereafter. Rejection of
the Hereafter inevitably leads to the conclusion that material prosperity and
worldly success are the only worthwhile goals in life. It deals a death-blow to
morality by denying man’s accountability for his deeds to God and destroying
his faith that justice must ultimately prevail.
All
modernist ideologies are characterized by man — worship. Man-worship most often
appears under the guise of science. Modernists are convinced that progress in
scientific knowledge will eventually confer upon them all the powers of
Divinity. Another common form of man - worship is nationalism. Nationalism is
characterized by the collective worship of one’s own particular group combined
with hatred of foreigners and minorities. Witness the persecution of the Jews
in Nazi Germany, the Arabs in Israel, the Muslims of India and recently, the Turks
in Cyprus.
Without
exception all modernist ideologies reject transcendental values. In other
words, there is no such thing as any objective absolute criterion for truth.
Rather, truth and moral values are only relative and their validity limited to
time, place and circumstance. Societies based upon Divine Revelation are dubbed
by the modernists as “static” and “petrified.” Mere change is considered a
virtue for its own sake and the faster things change, the better. The supreme
virtue of modernism is to be “up-to-date.” Newness whether it is the latest
fashion in women’s dress, the latest model car, or the latest dance craze, is
prized above all else.
Another
major goal of modernist ideology is to weaken family ties and home life as much
as possible. Indeed Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto (1848)
advocated the elimination of the family entirely. The major weapons employed
against the family are: (1) industrialization; (2) urbanization, (3) the
“emancipation” of women. Actually all three operate simultaneously and go hand
in hand. Industrialization with its promise of high wages and other material
benefits lures large numbers of the able-bodies from the close-knit,
well-integrated society of the rural village to the anonymity of the large city.
In the process families are often broken up and separated. With
industrialization the family ceases to be a self-sufficient economic unit. As a
result, the father spends most of his time away from home and the mother bored by
housekeeping which mechanization has robbed of creativity and interest, also
seeks outside diversions. Although nurseries, kindergartens and schools
increasingly assume a parental role, large numbers of children are left to
their own devices and roam the streets almost completely unsupervised. Under
such circumstances it is no mystery why juvenile delinquency has become epidemic.
The
most powerful and indispensible weapon for the destruction of the family is the
so-called “emancipation” of women. Every effort is made to lure women away from
the home by making the role of housewife and mother as unattractive, unsatisfying
and unrewarding as possible. This is accompanied by subtle propaganda of the
mass-media belittling the traditional feminine role and glamorizing those women
who compete in careers with men. The wife who achieves economic independence
from her husband destroys his role as head of the family. Consequently in
families where the mother dominates, the children naturally lose all respect
for the father.
Most
devastating is the ever-increasing freedom for illicit sex. Every effort is
made to exploit and commercialize the female body. The results can be seen in
the sky-rocketing rise in the number of pregnant brides, illegitimate children,
abortions, divorces, sex crimes and cases of venereal disease. Wherever modernism
dominates, polygamy is regarded as an unpardonable crime deserving of the most
severe punishment, whereas legal penalties are rarely enforced against illicit
sex which is regarded as a purely private, individual affair.
Closely
related to modernism’s lack of regard for the value of the family is its
contempt for the aged. In countries dominated by totalitarian nationalism the
glorification of youth is continually emphasized in special youth festivals, sports
events, military parades and political demonstrations. In America and Western
Europe the worship of youth finds its expression in beauty contests and the
constant emphasis on sexual attractiveness in the massmedia. In all countries,
whether Communist or non-Communist, wherever modernism prevails, the social
status of old people is extremely low. Conflict between generations is
encouraged by educating young people to regard .their elders as hopelessly old-fashioned
and out-of-date. Young adults consider freedom from any responsibility toward their
elders essential for their personal happiness. Those who do care for their aged
parents regard it as an intolerable burden. Eventually the sick and infirm old
people end their days in nursing homes or mental hospitals regarded as useless
and a social liability. It is not surprising that older people are ashamed of
their age and try their utmost to preserve a youthful appearance as long as
they can. Fantastic sums of money are wasted every year in America and Europe
by women on hair dyes, cosmetics and reducing fads. Women of fifty are supposed
to feel guilty that they do not have the figure of a girl of twenty.
One of
the greatest defects of modernism is its inability to take a comprehensive view
of life. For instance, Freudian ideology claimed that human health and
happiness depend upon an uninhibited sex life, while Marx proclaimed economics
to be the be-all and end-all of existence. This extreme compartmentalism is
common to all modernist philosophy. A single aspect of human life such as sex or
economics is taken out of its proper context and its importance exaggerated
beyond all reasonable bounds. In other words the part is mistaken for the
whole.
The
evil of Western civilization is not incidental or merely caused by human
weakness which fails to live to noble principles. The noble principles themselves
are lacking. Western civilization is evil in theory as well as in practice.
This evil is a basic and integral part of its guiding philosophy and corrupts the
whole structure. One may well object and insist that Western civilization has
achieved greatness in many fields. However, it must be remembered that
falsehood always parades itself under the guise of truth. This is why it
seldom, if ever, appears totally black.
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