Emergence of an Independent Secular Value System (Leaving Cert Religious Education): Revision Notes
Emergence of an Independent Secular Value System
What is a secular value system?
A secular value system is built on human ideals and philosophical thinking rather than religious beliefs. These systems create frameworks for understanding right and wrong without referencing religion or its methods. They represent humanity's attempt to find meaning and establish moral principles through reason and human experience alone.
Unlike religious value systems that derive authority from divine sources, secular value systems rely entirely on human reasoning, philosophy, and shared human experiences to determine moral and ethical principles.
The three key moments
The development of secular value systems can be traced through three major historical periods, each contributing essential elements to how we understand values today. These periods show a clear progression from religious to secular thinking: the Renaissance (introducing humanism), the Enlightenment (establishing human rights), and 20th-century existentialism (emphasising individual freedom).
1. The Renaissance - Humanism (14th-16th centuries)
The Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" in French, marked the first major shift towards secular thinking in Europe. This period followed the Middle Ages and was characterised by renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman scholarship.
Key features of Renaissance humanism:
- Focus on human nature: Humanists studied human achievements and capabilities in all their forms, making people rather than God the centre of attention
- Emphasis on human dignity: Instead of the mediaeval view that a life of penance was the highest form of human activity, humanists celebrated creativity and the attempt to master nature
- Revival of human wisdom: Scholars sought to rediscover lost knowledge and develop new understanding through human reason
Breaking Free from Religious Orthodoxy
The Renaissance helped break humanity free from the mental constraints of religious orthodoxy. It encouraged free inquiry and criticism whilst inspiring confidence in human thought and creativity. Most importantly, it established human reason as valuable above all else, leading to the belief that humans could understand everything in the world through their own abilities.
This confidence sparked an explosion of creativity in science, art, and philosophy. The period also saw the development of printing, which helped spread new ideas quickly across all social classes.
2. The Enlightenment - Human rights (17th-18th centuries)
The Enlightenment period brought dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society, and politics. This era swept away mediaeval worldviews and established the foundations of our modern Western world.
Key developments:
The Enlightenment challenged traditional hierarchical structures, including monarchies and the Catholic Church's political authority. It replaced these with new social and political orders based on principles of human reason, freedom, and equality.
"Dare to know" mentality:
This period encouraged people to break free from blind faith in church and state. Instead, people began to believe that through reason, humanity could determine how life should be organised and lived.
The Human Rights Revolution
The motto "Liberty, Equality & Fraternity" from the French Revolution (1789), along with the American Declaration of Independence (1776), established the concept of natural rights. These developments led to:
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789) in France
- The principle that "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights"
- The foundation of modern human rights movements
Although the concept of rights existed before the Enlightenment, this period firmly embedded human rights in society as an independent, non-religious value system. This framework has become the bedrock of modern laws and national values, fundamentally changing the world for the better.
3. 20th Century - Existentialism
By the 20th century, particularly in Europe, many people found that traditional religion no longer held meaning for them. There was widespread discontentment with how society had been organised around outdated church ideas.
Rise of existentialism:
Philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche gained prominence as belief in God declined and individualism became more important. Existentialism teaches that the fact of your existence is the starting point for all knowledge.
Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialist Philosophy (1905-1980)
As a leading existentialist thinker, Sartre famously declared that "Man was condemned to be free." His philosophy emphasised several key ideas:
- There is no official guide for what humans should be or do
- We form our own paths based on sincere personal choices
- There are no fixed criteria for determining right and wrong
- As we shape ourselves, we also influence society
- Each person has sole responsibility for their own life
- Everyone has the freedom to choose what to do or not do
Existentialism has significantly contributed to contemporary secular humanism by emphasising individual responsibility and questioning meaning offered by external sources like religion. This has had an enormous impact on the values of modern Western societies.
Key Points to Remember:
- Secular value systems developed through human reason and philosophy, independent of religious authority
- The Renaissance introduced humanism, celebrating human potential and dignity whilst reviving classical learning
- The Enlightenment established human rights principles through reason, leading to major political revolutions and documents like the Declaration of Rights
- 20th-century existentialism emphasised individual freedom and personal responsibility for creating meaning in life
- These three periods show a clear progression from religious to secular thinking, fundamentally shaping modern Western values and legal systems