Concetti Chiave
- Evangelicalism, inspired by John Wesley, emphasized enthusiasm in the Church, social reform, and strict moral codes.
- Utilitarianism, led by Jeremy Bentham, advocated solving problems through reason but faced criticism for neglecting human values.
- John Stuart Mill advanced reforms in education, women's rights, and believed in societal progress through mental energy and free character interplay.
- Charles Darwin introduced evolutionary theories, challenging biblical creation views with ideas of natural selection and adaptation.
- Herbert Spencer applied Darwin’s theories to economics, creating Social Darwinism, while Karl Marx critiqued environmental impacts on society.
The code of values of this age, which is usually defined as Victorian, found its basis in some of the movements of thought of the age.
The most influencer was a religious movement, knew as Evangelicalism; it was inspired by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and it promoted the following beliefs:
bring enthusiasm in the Church;
dedication to humanitarian causes and social reform;
obedience to a strict code of morality;
the importance of Bible reading and praying at home.
The other influencer movement was the Utilitarianism, based on the principles promoted by Jeremy Bentham; it contributed to the belief that any problem could be overcome through reason.
Another important personality of the time was John Stuart Mill: he followed the Benthamite philosophy and he “created” some new theories:
he believed that happiness was a state of the mind and the spirit;
he thought legislation should have a more positive function in trying to help men develop their skills;
the good society was to him a place where the free interplay of human characters creates the greatest variety;
he believed that progress came from mental energy and he thought that art and education were very important;
he promoted a long series of reforms, keeping in mind issues and causes as the popular education, the trades union organisation and the emancipation of the women.
In the middle phase of the Victorian Age, a feeling of uncertainty began to rise, since thanks to all the new scientific discoveries people started to understand that the universe wasn’t a static thing, but that it was changing.
With his works, as On the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin presented his new theories on the issue of natural selection and evolution:
all living creatures have taken their shape after and through a slow process of change and adaptation;
some physical conditions are more suitable than others and that has determined the survival of certain species despite the other;
man evolved their skills and features, physical and intellectual, as any other animal.
Darwin’s theory also discarded the theory of the creation promoted by the Bible.
A philosopher who adapted Darwin’s theories to social life was Herbert Spencer: he said that economic competition was similar to natural selection. This became known as Social Darwinism.
The religious revival found its expression in the movement headed by the English cardinal John Henry Newman, and the movement took the name of Oxford Movement, since Newman came from that town.
Also in this period, had a significant role those who protested against the harm caused by environment in human life: one of those was Karl Marx, who explained his theories in his book Capital (1867).
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual era il movimento religioso più influente durante l'età vittoriana?
- Quali erano le principali credenze di John Stuart Mill?
- Come Charles Darwin ha influenzato la visione del mondo durante l'età vittoriana?
- Chi ha adattato le teorie di Darwin alla vita sociale e come?
Il movimento religioso più influente era l'Evangelicalismo, ispirato da John Wesley, che promuoveva entusiasmo nella Chiesa, dedizione a cause umanitarie, obbedienza a un codice morale rigoroso e l'importanza della lettura della Bibbia e della preghiera a casa.
John Stuart Mill credeva che la felicità fosse uno stato della mente e dello spirito, che la legislazione dovesse aiutare gli uomini a sviluppare le loro abilità, e che il progresso derivasse dall'energia mentale, con l'arte e l'educazione considerate molto importanti.
Charles Darwin, con le sue opere come "On the Origin of Species", ha presentato teorie sulla selezione naturale e l'evoluzione, suggerendo che tutte le creature viventi si sono evolute attraverso un processo di cambiamento e adattamento, sfidando la teoria biblica della creazione.
Herbert Spencer ha adattato le teorie di Darwin alla vita sociale, affermando che la competizione economica era simile alla selezione naturale, concetto che divenne noto come Darwinismo sociale.
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