The Prominence of Individualism - Cultural Analysis of the United States From 1950 to Present Day
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1 Senior Project: Modern America David V. Kimball ³World view´ is a phrase which co mes from the German word Weltanschauung , coined from Emmanuel Kant¶s Critique of Judgment , written in 1790. As an Enlightenment philosopher , he believed human beings use ³reason alone to understand the meaning of the world and of our place within it.´ 1 In Germany during the Idealism period, Friedrich Schelling believed Weltanschauung underscored mans longing to address the deepest questions of life , existence , and the nature o f the universe. 2 Anthropological linguist Orville Boyd Jenkins explains worldview, ³We all develop expectations based on our early experiences. . . . expectations are also greatly affected by all kinds of experiences. We formulate expectations from previous experiences , guided by the society around us and by our own analytical faculties.´ 3 Thus worldview is deeply embedded in our culture. The postmodern age is a product of our culture¶s individualistic worldview. In the United States during the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald¶s The Great Gatsby had been emphasizing individualism, and had mocked the idea of an all-seeing God. In the story , George Wilson¶s musings address the idea of God¶s o mnivision briefly but he soon dismisses it , leaving the reader with the impression that Wils on is delusional. 4 "He tells us, µGod sees everything¶ , and then proceeds to kill the wrong person." 5 This absurd act on Wilson¶s part tried to portray such an idea as irrelevant. In the 1940s , writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre had argued for subjective , 1 Michael W. Goeheen and Craig G. Bartholomew, Living at the Crossroads (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008), 11-12. 2 Ibid, 12. 3 Orville Boyd Jenkins, What is Worldview? (Orville Boyd Jenkins, on-line: http://orvillejenkins. com/worldview/wo rldvexperience.htm l , accessed May, 2011), 1. 4 Ibid, 195. 5 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (Charles Scribner's Sons: New York, New York, 1925), 123.
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Transcript of The Prominence of Individualism - Cultural Analysis of the United States From 1950 to Present Day
8/6/2019 The Prominence of Individualism - Cultural Analysis of the United States From 1950 to Present Day
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