The idea that most prominently constitutes intellectual \u201cmodernity\u201d is the straying from the idea that truth is both objective and local. European and other \u201cWestern\u201d countries became ideologically \u201cmodern\u201d when these countries strayed from the belief that truth is absolute rather than relative, for example, and that the pre-Enlightenment European model of God is indeed the only true model of God. Today, most Europeans and other \u201cWesterners\u201d do not believe in absolute truth (that is, truth being objective) and the pre-Enlightenment European model of God (that is, truth being local). This personal definition of \u201cmodernity\u201d necessitates the existence of a \u201ctraditional\u201d or \u201cpre-modern\u201d view because it assumes that before a society believes in subjective, global truth, it believes in the opposite – objective, local truth. Although this definition does create an \u201cother\u201d category, I do not think this is problematic because this category neither uplifts nor downgrades the \u201ctraditional\u201d society – it is merely a different mode of thinking, not a less intellectual one.<\/p>\n
In \u201cThe Grocer and the Chief,\u201d the grocer represents Balgat\u2019s beginning transition into modernity, and the chief represents the traditional view. For the chief, all that needs to be known is inside his village. Any outside view (as projected through the one radio on page 50) must be filtered through the objective and honorable local view of Balgat, which constitutes the chief\u2019s sermon-like commentary after each radio listening session. The grocer\u2019s eagerness to leave Turkey (page 50) says that he believes that truth is not to be found within Balgat, but rather in the outside world at large.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The idea that most prominently constitutes intellectual \u201cmodernity\u201d is the straying from the idea that truth is both objective and local. European and other \u201cWestern\u201d countries became ideologically \u201cmodern\u201d when these countries strayed from the belief that truth is absolute … Continue reading