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Modernity: Universality and Rationality in Religion and Politics
Modernity is best described as the quest to control epistemic and existential uncertainty with more empirical modes of knowledge in contrast to what we may think of as superstitious or spiritual knowledge.
Two features of modernity stand out above the rest: universality and rationality; unfortunately, they have been as destructive as they have been influential.
Let me tell you how.
In this blog post, I will analyze Enrique Dussel’s discussion of modernity in The Invention of the Americas and contrast it with M. Jacqui Alexander’s analysis of Afro-Caribbean spirituality in Pedagogies of Crossing. I will first explore two core features of modernity in Dussel’s work: (1) universality and (2) rationality. Then I will turn to Alexander and show how her understanding of the ‘Other’ relates to universality and rationality in contemporary life. Finally, I will discuss how these issues translate to a contemporary understanding of religion and politics.
Dussel believed that modernity originated with Columbus. Columbus’ authority and colonization dominated Latin America at the time with his ruthless subjugation of their people, culture, and religions. Therefore, modernity brought in a systemic subjugation by institutionalizing universality on moral and epistemological…
