Exploring the Consequences of Modernity on Society and Human Behavior

This essay examines the multifaceted consequences of modernity on society, human behavior, and the environment. It begins by defining modernity and its impact on social and organizational life, arguing that the transformations are far-reaching and, to a certain extent, permanent. The essay references films like Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" to illustrate the technological impact and the potential for human enslavement to technology, along with the psychological development of humans. Furthermore, it explores how modernity influences religion, citing examples from Islam, and the environmental consequences of technological advancement. The essay also discusses the concept of "slow violence" and the importance of tolerance in the context of modernity, referencing key scholarly articles and books to support its arguments.

Running head: MODERNITY AND CONSEQUESNCES
MODERNITY AND CONSEQUESNCES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MODERNITY AND CONSEQUESNCES
Modernity entails the current modes of the social and organizational life which was
emerged from the seventeenth century onwards created influenced worldwide. In other way, the
modernity refers to the current trends and the practice in the society by the humans. The
consequences of modernity have impacted the human and the organizational life deeply and
intensely and the result is far reaching and to certain extent permanent. The arguments of the
scholars on the modernity implies that the human civilization is at the entrance of the new era in
the late twentieth century, which must be responded by the social science. Many articles and
films have been made and published on this subject which refers to the consequences of the
modernity that requires confrontation in order to achieve the more consciousness by the humans.
It is true that the modernity has impacted the society with all its form and aspects. The
influence of the modernity has transformed the society to be dependable on the technology. This
fact is evident from the movie of the Charlie Chaplin, specially the Modern Times. This
particular movie id the true reflection of the modernity and the consequences of the same by
Charlie Chaplin. He wisely and perfectly projected the idea of the confrontation in the human
behavior that is required for the consciousness of the same. Charlie Chaplin was able to raise the
question on the consequences of the modernity on the society as well as on the human
civilization. The film reflects that the humans have been the slave of the technology and
indirectly of the modernity. In addition, Chaplin tries to the present his idea that the
modernization not only refers to the technological improvement which makes the human slave of
their own invention, but the psychological development of humans. However, despite the film
being a comedy, idea and the message that the film projects make the film a sarcastic one on
human behaviors as well as on the modernity Charlie Chaplin himself states that –

2MODERNITY AND CONSEQUESNCES
“I am so sure of this point that I not only try to get myself into embarrassing situations, but I
also incriminate the other characters in the picture. When I do this, I always aim for economy of
means.”
Another film that projects this idea is again a not common film, but a silent feature film
directed by Fritz Lang. The film Metropolis is similar to the Modern Times of Chaplin and
showcases the city which is industrialized by the machinery and consequently falls victim to the
modernization. The lack of dialogue in the film does not make it difficult for the audience to
understand and realize the central theme of the film. In addition, the film goes on depicting that
the human civilization is lacking the consciousness of the consequences of the modernity which
leads the city to possess capitalism and class distinction. It is implied from both the movies that
the humans despite being the inventor and the developer of the modernity and other related
consequences falls victim to the same. The scholars argue that the people are grabbing the
opportunity and the advantages of the modernity without thinking of the consequences of the
same in their lives as well as in the society. Considering the industrialization shown in the movie
one of critic stated –
“fixation on economic growth that big businesses had shown little regard of the nation’s well-
being, remaining more concerned about their profits.” (Fischer, 2005)”
The wrong perfection and acquisition of the opportunities provided by the modernity is not only
affecting the society but also is influencing the human behaviors as well as the human agencies
in a negative way.

3MODERNITY AND CONSEQUESNCES
In regards to the modernity and the need for confrontation for the human to understand
the positive consequences of the same, El Fadl, Khaled Abou, and Ian Lague (2002) suggests
that the modernity is the forces that drive the Islam into the wrong direction in search of the
“pure religion”. Referring to the Quran he states for Islam -
“To each of you God has prescribed a Law and a Way. If God would have
willed, He would have made you a single people. But God’s purpose is to test
you in what he has given each of you, so strive in the pursuit of virtue, and
know that you will all return to God, and He will resolve all the matters in
which you disagree” (5: 49).
In addition, it is the modernity and the technological intervention that have given birth to
the terrorists and the and self-proclaimed puritan like Osama Bin Laden. However, some critics
argues that the terror in the Islam for the “jihad” is the result for the socio-economic conditions
which is further explained by El Fadi and counter the argument with the examples of the
modernity. Considering the fact of the modernity and the religion, El Fadi shows the connection
between the two in this article referring to the Islam and the humanism.
Considering the consequences of the modernity, the article of Rob Nixon presents a series
of photographs which depicts the severe and dangerous consequences of the modernization and
the wrong perception of the same by the human. The extreme technological improvement and the
usage of the same by the human civilization makes has impacted the environment. The excessive
usage of the technologies is leading to the destruction of the environments. The humans are
lacking the understanding and realization that the ultimate impact is on the human civilization.
The nature is deeply affected by the human activities based on the modern technologies. This

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undoubtedly certain that the modernization has made the lives of the people easy. However, in
order to make the lives easy and saving the time, the people have become technology oriented
and depended, which is resulting to the destruction of the environment as well as the human
civilization. The article of the Rob Nixon has its name aptly used as Slow Violence, because the
modernity is slowing affecting the society. The author states that –
“By slow violence I mean a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight, a violence of
delayed destruction that is dispersed across time and space, an attractional violence that is
typically not viewed as violence at all” (p. 2)
Another article by Michel Walzer focuses on the Judaism and the tolerance of the of the
adulthood. In the book it is implied that the tolerance is based on the religion, community and the
modernity of confrontation and culture. It is referred in the book that the race, culture, class is the
measurement of the tolerance, which is further indicated by the modernity and the consequences
of the same. However, the modernity is referred here as the negative force that is not only
affecting the society but also creating inability in the humans for assessing the confrontation. In
this respect he states
“Toleration makes difference possible; difference makes toleration necessary.”

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Reference:
Walzer, Michael, On Toleration, (New Haven: YUP, 1997). Complete pages 1-13
Abu Fadl, Khaled, The Place of Tolerance in Islam(Boston: Beacon Press) 2002.
Pages: 1-85.
Nixon, Slow Violence: The Environment and the Humanities, Harvard University
Press, 2014. pgs. 1- 132. Online version of Introduction, Chapter 1, and 2.
Modern Times
Metropolis