Think [the box] ing discussion

Are you a Modernist? Are you "Enlightened"?
What do these things mean to you and does morality fit in here, if so how?
What, if anything, does this all mean to you and to humanity, now in the present and for the future?

I love to be modenised in every aspects of the world of advancing technology. It means alot to me and all the people on the earth. all the modernized things make u feel wandering in the new new world rather living in the steady life. It is more interesting and exciting. By coping with modern world, ur knowledge and attitude (all moral things) become enlightened. Life become more meaningful and wondeful. i am sure our genes will restructure to meet the advancing world accordingly even now and then.

Ever since i started college a few months ago i have lived in the middle of nowhere, a nice nowhere though, and its only hitting me now how much i have missed from not living in the city. I had to learn quickly how to cope because the city really is a concrete jungle for humans!, im finding it easier to spot the 'carnivores' and 'herbivores' and the more elusive 'omnivores'

I think we could do with alot more enlightened people in Ireland. (Enlightenment is an age of OPTIMISM, tempered by the realistic recognition of the sad state of the human condition and the need for MAJOR REFORMSwhich advocated REASON as the primary basis of authority.) People are not using reason where it is needed in Ireland

hi sara

how so
i know nothing about ireland except it is beautiful, the land of my forebears, icelandair sometimes have some very good fares and artists don't pay income tax

and the strife of northern ireland which seems to have settled down?

To my mind, modernism began when Galileo rejected faith-based traditional dogma to propose an idea based on evidence, revolutionizing how we view the physical world. Darwin did the same for our view of life and humanity; Freud for our view of the mind. I would not want to do without the benefits of modernity, but our civilization is in a precarious position with the pressures of population, consumerism, and dependence on energy-intensive technologies. We need to develop an ethics of sustainability to complement the power of science, something that religion and nationalism are not equipped to handle (as evidenced by the wars of the last century).
I see Enlightenment as a process and not a state of being - using reason to create ever more human security, peace, and individual connection to the world. Morality is definitely part of the solution, but it should be based on modern thinking and not traditional tribal views of the world from thousands of years ago.
Meaning is all about connection, and modern enlightenment to me is intimately connected to our individual and collective well-being.
-Freethinker.