Age of Modernity and Progress

Positivism

A philosophy championed by Auguste Comte that emphasizes scientific observation and reason as humanity's greatest tools.

Special Relativity

Einstein's theory (1905) stating that space and time are not absolute, but relative to the observer's velocity.

General Relativity

Einstein's theory (1915) that describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime.

Uncertainty Principle

Heisenberg's principle stating that one cannot simultaneously know the exact position and momentum of a particle; it is a fundamental feature of reality.

Complementarity

Bohr's principle that particles can behave as either waves or particles depending on how they are observed.

Collective Unconscious

Jung's concept of shared human experiences and archetypes that shape the human psyche beyond individual experience.

Will to Power

Nietzsche's idea that human action is driven by a desire for dominance and self-assertion rather than reason or morality.

Perspectivism

Nietzsche's philosophy that suggests there is no objective truth; every truth is shaped by the individual's perspective.

Myth of the General Strike

Sorel's idea that political action is driven more by myths and passion than by rational arguments.

Germ Theory

The scientific discovery that diseases are caused by microorganisms, fundamentally changing medicine.

Quantum Mechanics

A branch of physics that describes the behavior of energy and matter at atomic and subatomic levels.

Schrödinger's Cat

A thought experiment illustrating quantum superposition where a cat is simultaneously alive and dead until observed.

Radioactivity

The process discovered by Marie Curie where unstable atoms transform and release energy.

Clockwork Universe

The concept from Newtonian physics that views the universe as a deterministic machine where all events can be predicted.

Durée

Bergson's idea of lived time as a continuous flow of experience, distinct from measured clock time.

Industrialized Slaughter

The unprecedented level of death and destruction caused by WWI through the use of advanced weaponry developed from rational scientific discoveries.

Antiseptics

Medical practices developed by Lister that dramatically improved surgical outcomes through the application of germ theory.

Vaccinations

Medical innovations established by Pasteur that significantly reduced death rates from infectious diseases.

The Übermensch

Nietzsche's concept of individuals who create their own values in the absence of traditional moral frameworks.

Nuclear Physics

A field advanced by Fermi that led to insights in fission and the development of nuclear power.

Rational Capitalism

An economic system that relies on logic and reason; criticized for not addressing the realities of urban poverty during industrialization.

Max Planck

Discovered that energy comes in discrete packets called quanta.

Albert Einstein

Developed the theories of Special Relativity and General Relativity, showing that space and time are relative.

Niels Bohr

Developed the quantum model of the atom and the principle of complementarity.

Werner Heisenberg

Formulated the Uncertainty Principle, establishing that one cannot know both the position and momentum of a particle simultaneously.

Erwin Schrödinger

Developed wave mechanics and the thought experiment Schrödinger's Cat, illustrating quantum superposition.

Enrico Fermi

Advanced nuclear physics, contributing to nuclear fission and the understanding of complex atomic structures.

Marie Curie

Discovered radioactivity, demonstrating that atoms can be unstable and transform.

Nikola Tesla

Pioneered alternating current (AC) electricity and radio wave transmission, showing energy can transmit across space.

Sigmund Freud

Proposed that human behavior is driven by the unconscious mind, revealing that much of our reasoning is based on repressed desires and traumas.

Carl Jung

Developed the concept of the collective unconscious, suggesting shared archetypes shape human psychology.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Introduced ideas such as the 'Will to Power' and 'Perspectivism', challenging notions of objective truth.

Henri Bergson

Argued that reality is fundamentally duration, criticizing the scientific obsession with quantification.

Georges Sorel

Applied irrationalism to politics, suggesting myth and passion drive human action rather than rational deliberation.