Application Of The Ideas Of The Past Enlightened Thinkers To Our Present Life

The ideas of the past enlightened thinkers are archaic and no longer apply to the 21st century. The author targets the human nature of the new generation, stating that a vast majority of the society is inactive, lacks passion, and is consumed by technology. Due to the advancements of the past, many of the enlightened thinkers possessed beliefs that pertain to the era of which they lived in, but such beliefs are or have already become obsolete.

The author says, “we don’t give a damn about our jobs, we only take them to pay our bills and other expenses”. In this statement he or she implies the idea that we, as of today lack passion. Baron de Montesquieu believed that in man's natural state he is passionate, strives for freedom, and fights to be free. This doesn't apply to time now due to the lack of involvement in the reality around us. There are very few individuals who will leave their electronics to take a stand for a change they wish to happen, on the contrary to the citizens of United States in the past.

On numerous occasions the writer mentions technology, implicating that we are being consumed by our electronic advancements. In such statements she is not only targeting the human nature of the new generation but, she is also targeting our prioritization. John Locke refers to the mind as a ‘blank slate’, that we as humans are ignorant of situations we hold little to no experience with. This idea no longer applies to the 21st century for the reason that we have created technology that can guide us through moments of inexperience. Software and programs such as, YouTube and Facebook are definitely forms of media that assist our incompetence with foreign activities. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes believes that naturally humans are “driven by the desire of power” but, by reason of our advancements we allow ourselves to dedicate more time to screens rather than the world around us.

Lastly, the author states, “everyone just accepts the bare minimum” as a way of saying we are very careless of everything outside of our phones and are willing to accept whatever is presented to avoid putting any effort in use. Many philosophers like Baron de Montesquieu and Thomas Hobbes say that man’s drive is the desire to be in power. The author says that by virtue of our carelessness we will accept anything with the decency to get us through certain situations. The writer of the text proves that the new generation, of the 21st century, contradicts this idea. According to the writer, the updates on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media are our top concern. Everyone would agree that we check our phones daily. As of the 21st century, most of the ideas of past philosophers are old and no longer relevant to the new era. Behavioral patterns and other concepts have altered in our society, spoiling or improving our community. The technology and media we use every day is nothing like what our ancestors before us had. We cannot look for guidance in situations that do not share a similar concept or pattern.