The Enlightenment to Modernism: A Brief Examination of this Revolution in Thought and Society

The Modernist movement of the early 20th century could be defined as the cultural revolution against the principles, traditions, and ideals that came as a result of the age of Enlightenment. The focus of this movement was primarily the acknowledgment and celebration of the subjective and irrational nature of man. This transformation undermined all previous assumptions about the presence of objective truth and the use of reason as a means to attain it. Modernism’s intense focus on subjectivity led to an introspective age in art, literature, philosophy, and scientific study. This reformation of thought manifested itself in every aspect of culture and the effects are still felt today throughout all of humanity.

Among the leaders of the Modernist movement, Sigmund Freud, a psychologist, had a particularly significant impact. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theories were very foundational in the scientific study of the self and proceeded to shape many of the Modernist ideals. Freud did not glorify this movement like some of his peers in early Modernism, such as Friedrich Nietzsche. He was simply an observer of the human psyche and took a scientific approach that had never been seen before. Freud’s most widely known theories are analysis of the human consciousness.

In Freud’s Outline of Psycho-Analysis, he explains his theory that the human mind is controlled primarily by unconscious impulses which help in determining the majority of our actions. Freud divides the self into three parts: the id, ego, and super ego. The id “contains everything that is inherited, that is present at birth, that is laid down in the constitution – above all, therefore, the instincts.” This is the determining factor in many of our actions, as well as where the majority of unconscious human impulses and desires stem from. The ego, Freud states, is the “intermediary between the id and the external world.” The ego stores our experiences and helps us adapt to our circumstances. The job of the ego is to control and prioritize our instincts, as well as seek pleasure. The super ego is purely a matter of external influence on the self. Freud states that the super ego is shaped mostly by parental influence, but also “later successors, teachers, and admired social ideals.” Freud states that the id, ego, and super ego work together and regulate every aspect of the human brain.

Freud’s emphasis on the significant control of the irrational, unconscious desires of man are very contradictory to the philosophies of the Enlightenment. These philosophies focus mainly on human reason as the guide to truth. If Freud’s theories are correct, the Enlightenment’s emphasis on human rationality must be misguided because humans are fundamentally irrational. Another large basis of the Enlightenment philosophy was based on the innate goodness of mankind. Freud contradicts this view, stating that if the self is controlled by our most primitive urges, man cannot be inherently good. Freud states that these impulses are irrational and self serving. Also, the Enlightenment philosophies stated that man lived by his own free will and significantly influenced his own outcome. Modernists, such as Freud, contradicted these ideas, theorizing that humans are, for a large part, products of their environment and experiences. Freud’s controversial ideas raised very important questions about the human condition which helped spur the revolution against Enlightenment thought.