The Modern Legacy takes us from the 1500s to the 1900s on a normal time line. Through its study, we journey much farther in philosophical time and through great leaps of faith and advancement in the development of Western culture.   Its legacy embodies the evolution of ideas central to modern, Western society.   In this scant 400-year period, many of the most important paradigms of thought for contemporary cultures originated.   Some of the dominant concepts of our current world, such as progress, human nature, origins of life, social constructs, use of power, are contained in works from the modern period.

As we examine the central themes and ideas of modern Western political thought and literature, we discover attitudes and values so common to our contemporary thinking that they often seem to reflect contemporary consciousness, rather than the philosophies of past cultures.   Their relevance to our lives today stands out more so perhaps than from any other time.   In particular, these modern legacies construct and question the notions of human nature, progress in history and science, the nature of freedom and political power, what constitutes the "good" society, and the relationship between self and society under the socioeconomic conditions of modernity.   The roots of political freedom and democracy, among the most dearly held of our American values, are easily recognized in works from these cultures.   Some of the ideas from the modern era are, of course, hallowed and healthy, embodying the best of human capacities. In contrast, some of this time's ideas are pernicious, toxic, and non-adaptive, finding expression in such persistent ills as racism, sexism, environmental destruction, narcissism, xenophobia, and bellicosity.

Despite the similarities between these modern worlds and our contemporary one, the legacy of the modern era is frequently ignored and dismissed as irrelevant.  However, to better understand the world in which we live today, reflection on modern ways of thinking can help us explore questions such as: What do modern authors have to say to us personally?  What are the   best societies in which to live?  Under what circumstances is political  freedom possible?  What is more important: freedom or security?  How can individuals relate to their own needs and the needs of their societies in   ways that are valid and useful for both?  Are the ideas put forth by these modern authors truly timeless, or can we find a basis for challenging their inclusion in contemporary education?  How does the world look different now from then?  In comparison to such peoples, how well do we, as contemporary human beings, understand justice, love, happiness, and our other most cherished goals?  Maybe most importantly, we, with these modern thinkers, continue the search for the answer to the first and last of all questions: "What does life mean?"

These Modern Legacy pages introduce a few of the major cultural moments which continue to have significant influence on contemporary cultures indebted to western development. They are not intended to provide comprehensive information on western culture's modern heritage, but to point toward directions for further intellectual growth, education, and expansion in the ever-changing world of ideas.

The pages of the Legacy Project are composed of short articles written by undergraduate students in the University Honors Program at the University of New Mexico as well as links to existing Internet and Web resources. Among a myriad of other topics, these Modern Legacy pages will explore Mary Wollstonecraft's early feminist thought, Marx's theories of social structure, Darwin's analysis of human origins, fine art, music, technological advances in industry, the French and American Revolutions, Frederick Douglas' slave narratives, Shakespeare's plays, and so on. We invite you to journey with us through these ages and pages of modern  peoples, places, and ideas.