Epilogue: Science and Modernity
Abstract
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is an absurd one,” Voltaire said in 1770. He was one of the first modernists, determined to see everything from a modern point of view, which he took to mean that science was distinct from the natural philosophy that had preceded it. It was in the century following the Scientific Revolution that science entered the general consciousness and became part of public discourse. It took at least another century, and perhaps two, before science permeated society to become an essential part of modernity. Ironically, the rejection of science by the post-modernist movement validates it as the epitome of modernity.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies
Historical Philosophy and Science
History of Science and Medicine
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Royal Society of Chemistry eBooks
- Pages
- 701–714
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter