The Enlightenment Philosophy

Como introducción al ensayo mas abajo, deseo hacer un análisis. Ya que ahora estamos en una realidad distinta, donde el capitalismo y los elementos que ayudan a controlar al hombre, como el arte, la ciencia, la tecnología y el impacto que estos han producido en el medio ambiente, están siendo mas cuestionados y comentados que cuando lo escribí en Enero 2016, Procredit Management Senior Academy, Furth - Germany. Y en algunas circunstancias, la libertad y capacidad de elección del hombre han vuelto a sus raíces y conceptos naturales, donde los sentimientos humanos, pertenencia, THE GENERAL WILL y proceder de las personas, son y demuestran su deseo de sobrevivir en familia, sociedad y humanidad. Sin embargo, también existen posturas de continuar en el anterior sistema, donde ese 5% de la humanidad todavía controla al otro 95%. Y, en ese 95% hay personas que piensan en su propio bienestar, con su libertad creada, aceptada y en su zona de confort.

Please evaluate Rousseau’s assumption that culture, art and science corrupt the natural good human individual using the European Enlightenment as empirical example

Before that in Europe a period known the Enlightenment appeared. People lived in a society characterized by the monarchy of the kings and the church. After in this environment, it started a movement guided by different philosophers and scientist part of the aristocracy, it was called Enlightenment. And one output of this shift was the idea of Social Contract proposed by Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. According this movement, Rousseau wrote the Discourse of Inequality and the Social Contract, where he said that the basic state of individual human is the most important state, because it is plently of innocence and free, where humans are capable of pity and compassion, where humans have capability to use reason and/or to be rational, where humans are equally endowed with talents and where humans have powerful desires and passions. So how did Rousseau evaluate that culture, art and science corrupt the natural good of human individual using the European Enlightenment as empirical example?. According to Rousseau the development of the culture contributed to corrupt the European society in the 18th century. In this way culture, art and science, were leaded by a group of enlighteners, part of the same priviliged society, without consideration the vast majority of people that lived at that time. And they used culture, art and science to dominate and corrupt the spirit human, for example in Greece and Rome in the past, where the culture was very development, the culture was a element to dominate and hold down human, under the idea that they were civilized countries, it contributed to increased inequality and decreased morality. Then, to evaluate Rousseau assumption. I will develop first the Art, because it produces inequality, it helps to control the natural good human individual and it produces an state of aparently hapiness. And second the Science that emerged product of human pride and lazyness, it contributes to decrease human virtues, it contributes to create a dependence of new technologies and it increases environment pollution.

Nowadays, the system uses art to their interests and the artist is a worker's system, whose production throws in the market as another product. In this sense it has been abandoned pure art by industrial production, seeking to transform the daily lives of people, applying the art in architecture, industrial design, film, advertising, furniture, packaging and clothing. Then, human creativity never ceases, but is increasingly repressed, challenged, blocked and corrupt. Art schools appear, partly in response to new technological developments and changes in society, but increases the recycling previous styles, trying to revolutionize production and increase productivity. Moreover, the way in which art is produced and distributed in society, is no longer exclusive to the privileged class, but extends to all social classes. And with the use of mass production techniques and the application of assembly principles line to produce items such as music, movies and TV shows, these items are produced cheaply for consumption by the working class, providing the channels and means to entertain workers in their leisure time. Consequently, the 'consumer society' based on a relative increase of wages of the working class in the post-war appears and increased production of goods for mass consumption, partly financed by credit expansion. And as a result of the growth of unproductive expenditures and activities, for example in marketing and advertising, promoting consumer society that currently governs. Therefore, the Art has become an article of mass consumption, encouraging vices and lack of moderation.

In addition, the enlightenment characterized by reason applied to all forms of knowledge, started an ideological revolution based on autonomous development of reason and criticism, which it produced big changes like the French Revolution, after the Industrial Revolution and the development of sciences. So, with the Industrial Revolution capitalist society arises and changes the economics primarily on aspects related to production. For instance the development of steam engine resulted in increased productivity and a deep change in the use of energy resources, because coal was the primary fuel source. Therefore, small artisan workshops gave way to large manufacturing industries, located in urban areas, this generated significant migration from the countryside to the cities. Furthermore, demand for coal to power steam engines was a major increase in mining, it also contributed a migration to the mining areas and leaved of the country side. Then, employment status of workers became worse significantly, as a result he found himself crammed into large industrial cities and an increased competition with other workers. And so he is forced to sell its workforce in exchange for lower salaries than before, work schedules with increasing hours, and subsequently into work at ever younger ages than previous. Also, scientific and technological development since the late eighteenth century, it makes you depend on it, for example currently many people buy smartphones before it officially goes on sale, becoming addicted to the use of technologies and further always buy the latest model. Equally important, it is to blame for the expansion of the proletariat and capitalism with its consequences such as wars and great revolutions. Because, the industrial development remains at the present time, guided by economic interests, consumerism of society and the Globalization of world. They are leaving a problematic unprecedented environmental impact may affect the survivals of future generations. In other words, the legacy of the Enlightenment scientific and technological development has destroyed the environment and threatens to destroy our planet.

In summary, the Art is immersed in all aspects of life, an example of this is music, film, literature, television, etc. and in this sense it is consumed by everybody in every layer of society. Therefore there is art for everyone, and consume art makes find some level of satisfaction, and people life acceptance. The science and technological advances such as communication, they allow us to be connected online and informed of everything that happens around us; in medicine we have the technology, drugs, and equipment at our disposal, although this is more privative part of certain social classes; globalized industries make indiscriminate use of nature, in an effort to achieve higher economic rewards, in decline of the environment, that is causing the destruction of our planet. These elements show that science and technology are on the side of individuals possessing material goods, presenting the great inequality that is currently presented in the world. To conclude, the Art can control the individual human under an apparent happiness and satisfaction. And Science, through technology lets spread the Art, it has turned us dependent on a culture of consumerism, where the human individual has been corrupted and deprived of their freedom.