The Twentieth Century Mind History Ideas And Literature In Britain V1 And 2

Author : Harry Elmer Barnes
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781330932100
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (321 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Living in the Twentieth Century written by Harry Elmer Barnes and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-07 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Living in the Twentieth Century: A Consideration of How We Got This Way Whatever one's outlook upon life, one can scarcely deny that the last century has been the most striking and pregnant period in human history. Indeed it has already brought about more changes, or by implication is bound to bring about greater transformations, in human life and thought than were achieved between the so-called "dawn of history" and the middle of the nineteenth century. By the progressive, these changes are welcomed with enthusiasm as the prelude to a new and glorious age of prosperity, freedom and happiness, devoid of the older ignorance, scarcity, misery and solemnity. To the upholder of the old order, they are the most appalling challenge which he has ever been called upon to face. Therefore, all must take cognizance of, and prepare to reckon with, the cultural advances of the last century. We must take cultural inventory and come to realize that we are actually living in the twentieth century. We shall then be in a position to reflect upon what is to be done about it. The contrast between the civilization of a century ago and that of to-day is frequently mentioned by cultural historians and historically and philosophically inclined novelists, and is sometimes put into dramatic paragraphs, one of the best of which we quote in the body of this book. There are textbooks on modern European history which give at least some passing attention to the great cultural changes since Metternich. But, as far as the present writer is aware, there has been no direct and conscious effort to set forth in clear and popular form those transformations in our knowledge and material culture which separate our day from the civilization of Bentham, Jackson or Lincoln. Such is the sole motive of the present volume, and the materials have been selected for this purpose alone. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.