Age of Anxiety

As people grappled with the costs of WWI and the difficulty of postwar recovery, philosophers and scientists questioned and even _______ many of the cherished values and beliefs that had guided Western society since the 18th century Enlightenment and the 19th century triumph of science and industry.

abandoned

Explain the philosophical approach of Friedrich Nietzsche and the impact it had on modern Western philosophy.

Wrote Untimely Meditations and On the Genealogy of Morals, believed western philosophy over emphasized rationality and stifles passions and instincts that drive human activity and true creativity. All moral systems were invented lies, liberalism, democracy, and socialism were corrupt systems designed to promote the weak at the expense of the strong, work attracted artists and writers in the early 20th century who experimented with his ideas which led to the rise of existentialism (and nihilism). (life is meaningless) He rejected religion, believed world was dark, lost his own sanity in the end. Nihilism leads to existentialism.

Define existentialism and list major contributors to the philosophical movement.

A philosophy that stresses the meaninglessness of existence therefore encouraging people to find their own meaning and moral values in an uncertain world. Søren Kierkegaard (Danish), Fyoder Dostoyevsky (Russian), Martin Heidegger (German), Karl Jaspers (German), John Paul Sartre (French), Albert Camus (French). General feeling of meaninglessness. Quote was God is Dead, atheism kind of pops up more during this time.

Explain Marie and Pierre Curie’s contribution to modern science.

Mare Curie (Polish), Pierre Curie (French) discovered radium constantly emits subatomic articles and therefore does not have a constant atomic weight.

Explain Max Planck’s contribution to modern science.

Implied that matter and energy are different forms of the same thing. Showed in 1900 that subatomic energy is emitted in uneven little spirts (which he called quanta) not a steady stream. Called into question the old sharp distinction between energy and matter. View that atoms were a stable basic building block of nature was shaken.

Explain Albert Einstein’s contribution to modern science, through his theory of “special relativity.”

German-Jewish, challenged mathematical laws at base of Newtonian Physics. Theory of special relativity- Albert Einsteins theory that time and space are relative to the observer and that only the speed of light remains constant. Explained it in analogies of trains to public. Theory also stated that matter and energy are interchangeable and even a particle of matter contains enormous amounts of energy. Time and distance not naturally universal, changes based off observer.

Define and explain Werner Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle.”

Popularized Einstein’s ideas, in 1927 formulated the “uncertainty principle” which said that nature itself is ultimately unknowable and unpredictable, said the universe lacked any absolute objective reality and everything is relative (depends on observers frame reference). 1927, nature itself is ultimately unknowable and unpredictable, universe lacks any objective reality all subjective and based on observers frame of reference. (train reference)

Using the photo at the bottom of page 869, explain Sigmund Freud’s psychological theories as they relate to his belief in the unconscious mind and irrationalism.

Concluded human behavior was irrationally governed by the unconscious a sort of mental reservoir that contain vital instinctual drives and powerful memories, this cast doubt on enlightenment ideals of rationalism and progress. Picture of his couch was part of his “talking cure” where (invited patients to lie back on couch and talk about their dreams and innermost thoughts.) Unconscious mind, id super ego and ego, id is unconscious, super ego keeps id in check, and ego is your rational self

Define and explain the “stream-of-consciousness” technique of writing as it relates to early 20th century Western modernist literature. What was the most famous example of this type of writing, and who wrote it?

Idea is to use the character thoughts and feelings to explore the human psyche, abandoned any sense of conventional plot, broke rules of grammar by blending foreign words, puns and memories together in a confusing riddle impossible to unravel, most famous example was Ulysess by James Joyce. Also found in works of Virginia Woold. Literature, the wasteland T.S Elliot, Ulysses by Jacobs Joyce, relying on internal monologues to explain human psyche.

Read T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land (bottom of page 876) and connect it to the literary style of the time period.

Example of the doubt of certain truth and overall pessimism of the age. Time period is about meaninglessness of existence and using that as motivation to explore success. The poem is about the struggle so humanity, it is a depressing view about living conditions. The style was pessimism toward the harsh post WWI society. Society to individual, view things as apocalypse not utopia, reject idea of progress,

Like in literature, after WWI some composers turned their backs on long established ________ conventions.

musical

Using Primary Source 26.3 on page 879, answer questions 1 and 2 as they relate to the “Modern Girl.” (what is the connection between the women in the café and the women on the Vogue ad? How did consumer culture effect women’s role)

Both demonstrate a break from Victorian era through women in café asserting independence by drinking alone and women in ad making choices that broke from the norm therefore asserting independence. Consumer culture made women more visible through new jobs, activism and looks. Some believe that his made them subject to a stereotype while other argue it was viewed as an opportunity of liberation for women from traditional role. Portrayed as more promiscuous and fun less motherly, used their appearance as propaganda, women idolize being one specific way which opens way for economic exploitation (consumerism independent female can vote have jobs, gender roles loosening.)

Because movies and radio became popular and true mass mediums by the 1920s, they were well suited for political ___ and manipulation.

propaganda