European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

EUROPE: MEANING AND MOTIVE 55When examining the motives for Europe’s cultural boom, secularismstands out with particular prominence. It is no longer just a question ofHumanism, reason and science —the most significant products ofEuropean culture— being essentially secular; instead, it is a question ofno issue ever having escaped controversy in Europe, with cultural lifehaving dragged the previously untouchable dogmas of religion andpolitics into the secular debate. Such widespread secularisation waswithout precedent in any other culture, even Greek civilization.Although universality is certainly present in other cultures —Buddhismand Islam, for instance, are also universal religions— it is neverthelesstrue that nowhere apart from in Europe has universality been the maindriving force; what is more, Europe managed to create a non-religiousuniversality.Reason is considered by enlightened Humanism to be morevaluable for its critical and pragmatic application to the moral, socialand political problems of human experience than as an element in theconstruction of a philosophical system. Instead of attempting toimpose a series of values or symbols, Humanism has taken on boardthe assumption that the truth can be reached via different routes, andthat it is necessary to perceive other cultures —Ancient Greek, Chinese,Roman, Indian— on their own terms. In this way, Locke, Voltaire andLessing ranked tolerance as an essential value for Enlightenment Man 8 .Europe’s historical pedigree within our continent and as an influenceon the rest of the worldAt the end of the 19th century, Europe seemed to be at its peak: itwas ruling the world and while Europeans no longer considered theirculture and civilization to be superior, they certainly saw them as avehicle for truth. The rest of the world was only able to develop if itassimilated European instrumental reasoning, that is to say our ownindustrial and military technology. Furthermore, cultural rationalizationwas at the heart of Europe’s triumph over the planet, and was the verything that obliged history to dance to Europe’s tune (Hegel) 9 .Gallimard (Collection La Pléïade), 1977; Bullock, A. The Humanist Tradition in the West,London: Thames and Hudson, 1985; Morin, E. Penser l’Europe, Paris: Gallimard, 1987).8Vid. Locke, John. On Tolerance ; Voltaire, Traité sur la tolerance; Lessing, Nathan derWeise, 1779, Gedichte. Fabeln. Dramen, Lessings Werke, Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag,1967; Philotas, Lesings Nathan der Weise, Berlin: Deutsches Theater, 1993 / 1994.9Hegel, Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Geschichte. Theorie Werkausgabe,Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1970.