The Changes in the Concept of Hero - Essay Example

In an essay of 400 to 800 words, list all sources, and respond to the following question:  Analyze the changes in the concept of hero and saint in the emergence of Romanticism (St. Francis and Dante), the agony and ecstasy of Michelangelo, Enlightenment patterns of cultural mutation, and Kierkegaard's portrayal of Abraham. How do these changes in philosophical thought show development over time? Please watch the following video lectures presented by Dr. Francis J. Ambrosio, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University.

 •Lecture 15: Saint Francis and Dante: Saintly Troubadours •Lecture 16: The Agony and Ecstasy of Michelangelo •Lecture 17: Enlightenment Patterns of Cultural Mutation •Lecture 18: Mt. Moriah Revisited: Saintly TransgressionThe Agony and Ecstasy of Michelangelo is one of the best depictions of the embodiment of the Renaissance humanism. It outlines the struggle of artists throughout time in order to leave a legacy even with all the interference in the family. Michelangelo as a figure completes this image of a classical Christian human that is transformed into an entity of modernity.

Michelangelo’s transformation depicts the ideas and criticism that display the negativity towards culture and religious authority. In fact, his personality and ego give a better inside of a clash of values that are essential to him. Moreover, Michelanego’s personality is referred to an assimilation of Eastern and Western values that many modern icons go through in their life period. A great deal of philosophy in essence even during the Renaissance era continued to emphasize the concept of fatalism.

Dante is a prime example of that as his religious beliefs are put to a stern test when he visits his ultimate fate, which is hell. The traditional belief in that era was the fact that predestination is a critical component that one must embrace. Dante’s legacy depicts that events and propositions that occur in the present will also occur in the future. Hence, events occurring in the future are unavoidable. The future is contingent and Dante’s Inferno is the key element that discusses the vital aspect of predestination.

However, as society progressed after the Renaissance era when the black plague left an embarking mark, society began to experience this new revival of the Enlightenment era. The Enlightenment era undoubtedly was a different taste than the Renaissance as science played a pivotal role in establishing the reasons for events that occur. Suddenly, philosophers modified their mindset to think critically instead of deriving their conclusions from fate, religion, and myths. Comparing this to a recent event, another sort of enlightenment period was the civil rights movement in which Martin Luther King took him upon himself to challenge the traditional views of not only society but the ideologies of capitalism and white superiority.

Another concept that has altered the perspective of society was the fact that society tends to focus on similarities rather than differences. Throughout civilizations, different sets of perspectives were viewed as dangerous which resulted in warfare and chaos. Soren Kierkegaard, the Nineteenth-century philosopher, was one of those individuals who retaliated against the cultural enlightenment that occurred as new ideas of science were embraced. He embodied the instilment of conservatism and reinstated the ideology of faith.

Although he was a radical, he wanted society to stay within the spheres of Christianity and embrace the spiritual remembrance of universal absurdity. However, society tends to accept the view of diversity in a more logical way than in previous centuries. The idea is to emphasize similarities between religions and cultures. The issue is not to point out ambiguities that can result in a myriad of battles but rather to embrace the idea of universality as humanitarians. Therefore, society has changed and perceptions will continue to evolve through science and a more modern view of life.