Humanities Study Guide

Humanities Study Guide

Chapter 9: The 19th Century

Overview This chapter shows us how the Western world leaned into massive changes with the Industrial Revolution. We’ll look back on how the advancements of the time made great improvements as well as caused great problems to the different classes of people. Learning Objectives At the end of this chapter, you will be able to: • Understand the rise in the importance of class • Define the most important technological advancements of the period • Identify the different ideas that broke from convention and led to modernism 9.1 The Industrial Revolution The industrial age brought new achievements in engineering and design. People believed that science, technology, and industry could know all truth, solve all problems, and create happiness; a way of thinking known as the materialist attitude. The cost of materialism and prosperity were not fully understood in the 18th century. Philosophy In England, Queen Victoria’s reign became known as the Victorian Era. It was a time period defined by a variety of achievements, especially in sanitation and vaccination programs, hydroelectricity, and the transatlantic telegraph. In many places, the standard of living was rising as technological advances continued to change how people lived. A new moral philosophy was born, which evaluated all actions with a single standard of judgment known as utilitarianism. This belief focused on creating the greatest pleasure for the greatest number of people. J. Bentham was the founder of this way of thought. He said that there was good in human pleasure and well-being. He even went as far as to say that happiness was the product of a social reform that could be measured. John Stuart Mill was one of the first published advocates of women's rights. He believed that the rights of women was a necessity for a utilitarian society. Mill, like other Victorians, was a believer in the modern notion that progress was attainable. One of the most notable scientists from this period is Charles Darwin . He was an English biologist who proposed the idea of human evolution, and whose theories led to many other scientific discoveries.

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