A History of Western Philosophy

The modern period in philosophy is characterized by “the diminishing authority of the Church” and “the increasing authority of science” (491). The first factor led to increasing subjectivism and individualism, “even to the point of anarchy” (493). The scientific mindset led to great physical progress and mastery over the environment. However, the weakness of science is that it does not provide a sense of values or final purposes; instead, it tends to lead to the worship of technique and power. Both these extremes are forms of “madness […] against which a sane philosophy should provide an antidote” (494).

The Renaissance produced progress mainly in the artistic and literary realms. It was not a period of great achievement in philosophy, although there were some advances. Renaissance thinkers revived Plato, thus breaking the dominance of Scholasticism and Aristotle. They also promoted a return to original Greek and Latin texts free of intermediaries. Finally, they advocated intellectual adventure rather than merely supporting a predetermined orthodoxy. All these things were beneficial to the development of modern thought.

Niccoló Machiavelli (1467-1527) was an important political philosopher of the Italian Renaissance. Political thought in Italy was stimulated by the growth of city states, which some thinkers saw as parallel to the city states of ancient Greece.