THE TURN OF THE CENTURY: A STUDY IN THE INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN 1895-1919

This is an interdisciplinary analysis of the thought of a broad range of leading authors, philosophers, scientists, artists, social critics, and theologians working in Britain between 1895 and 1919. It isolates and discusses six recurrent themes in their work, devoting one chapter to each. (Ch. 1) In response to the decline of Victorian religious belief, there was a broad Edwardian movement to reconcile religion and reason, reflected in the rise of Idealist philosophy, psychical research, an assortment of pantheistic surrogate religions, and the novels of Joyce, Conrad, and Virginia Woolf, as well as a general intellectual tendency to dissolve the distinction between worldly and spiritual things. (Ch. 2) Personal relationships were elevated to the level of a surrogate religion by G. E. Moore, the Bloomsbury Group, Bertrand Russell, Joseph Conrad, and Henry James. Similarly, many social reformers made a cult of fellowship, arguing that class barriers could be overcome through friendship with the poor. (Ch. 3) Others found a surrogate religion in Life, a popular catch-word which meant different things to different Edwardians--the worship of a Life Force, an affirmation of free will, realism in art, or a hunger for experience and personal freedom. (Ch. 4) Another common Edwardian cliche was Efficiency, which pervaded discussions of social reform, imperial policy, eugenics, religion, and even literary style. It was promoted by a new and rising class of professional workers who advocated a planned welfare state governed by a trained managerial elite--that is, themselves. (Ch. 5) Rejecting the Victorian work ethic and late Victorian decadence, the Edwardians emphasized the value of youth, humor, and clean fun. Bernard Shaw and many others made it fashionable to treat serious intellectual issues humorously. This play ethic was rooted in a nostalgia for childhood reflected in the children\u27s literature and child welfare legislation of the day. (Ch. 6) Compared to the Victorian and postwar generations, most Edwardian intellectuals were able to achieve a remarkable sense of inner peace and contentment, but only at the expense of intellectual honesty. It was a contentment based on the comfortable assumption that all conflicts could be reconciled, an assumption which did not survive the First World War