Wazungu wana mitazamo tofauti kuhusu historia ya fikra zao, yaani hatua za kuibuka kwa ustaarabu wao na utamaduni wao wa kisasa, unaoelezwa kama 'Enlightenment' (Mwangaza) na 'Modernism' (Usasa). Baadhi ya Wazungu wamegawanya historia katika enzi tatu: Antiquity (Zama za Kale), Middle Ages (Zama za Kati) na Modern Age (Zama za Kisasa). Mgawanyo huu wa kina ndio unaoenea zaidi. Wengine, kama Morris Bishop katika kitabu chake, The Middle Ages, wanadai kwamba Zama za Kati zilianza kwa Anguko la Roma, na wakagawanya enzi hizo kuwa Dark Ages (Zama za Giza) na High Middle Ages (Zama za Kati za Juu). Bishop alichukulia "tarehe 29 Mei 1453," siku ambayo Constantinople ilifunguliwa, kuwa mojawapo ya "tarehe za kugeuza" (hinge-dates) za historia ya Magharibi, "kuashiria mwisho wa Zama za Kati na mwanzo wa nyakati za kisasa." Kufikia mwisho wa Zama za Kati au kipindi cha kati, enzi ya Renaissance (Mwamko), Reformation (Matengenezo ya Kanisa) na Reason (Akili) ilianza, kama alivyodai Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher katika kitabu chake cha juzuu tatu, A History of Europe. H. A. L. Fisher alisisitiza kwamba si rahisi kwa mtafiti kubainisha mpaka katika historia kati ya Zama za Kati na Zama za Kisasa. Miongoni mwa Wazungu, wapo wanaofafanua kwa kina hatua ambazo fikra za Magharibi zilipitia, kama Will Durant katika kitabu chake The Story of Civilization, na Roland N. Stromberg katika kitabu chake, European Intellectual History since 1789. Stromberg aligawanya hatua hizo kuwa Zama za Kati, kipindi cha Renaissance, kipindi cha Reformation na kipindi cha Baroque. Kwa mujibu wa Stromberg, falsafa ya kipindi cha Baroque ni ya enzi ya baada ya Renaissance, au kwa mtazamo mwingine, ni enzi ya baada ya harakati ya Matengenezo ya Kanisa, ikianza takriban mwaka 1570 BK na kuendelea hadi zaidi ya mwaka 1650 BK. Kisha Stromberg anasisitiza karne ya kumi na saba kuwa enzi ya kufikiri kwa akili, "Ikiwa imepigwa na msukosuko mkubwa wa Reformation, Ulaya ilizaa mwamko wa kisayansi na kiakili wa karne ya kumi na saba." Stromberg anawanukuu Galileo, Newton, Descartes, Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke na Leibniz ili kuthibitisha kwamba karne ya kumi na saba ya Enzi ya Kawaida ilikuwa zama za akili na fikra. Kisha Stromberg anaonyesha shauku kubwa anapozungumzia "sura hiyo ya ajabu ya historia ya fikra, Mwangaza wa karne ya kumi na nane," kabla ya kuzungumzia tabia ya kiitikadi ya karne ya kumi na tisa ya Enzi ya Kawaida.

Westerners have varying views regarding the history of their thought i.e. stages of the emergence of their civilization and their modern culture, described as ‘Enlightenment’ and ‘Modernism.’ Some of the Westerners categorized history into three ages: Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Modern Age. This comprehensive categorization is predominant. Others, like Morris Bishop in his book, The Middle Ages, assert that the Middle Ages began with the Fall of Rome, categorizing the ages into the Dark Ages and High Middle Ages. Bishop considered “the 29th of May 1453,” the day that Constantinople was opened, as one of the “hinge-dates” of Western history, “to mark the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times.” By the end of Middle Ages or the medieval period, the age of renaissance, reformation and reason began, as asserted by Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher in his three-volume, A History of Europe. H. A. L. Fisher emphasized that it is not straightforward for the researcher to determine the delineation in history between the Middle and Modern Ages. Amongst the Westerners, there are those who elaborate upon the stages that Western thought passed through, such as Will Durant in his The Story of Civilization, and Roland N. Stromberg in his book, European Intellectual History since 1789, in which Stromberg divided the stages into the Middle Ages, the renaissance period, the reformation period and the Baroque period. According to Stromberg, the philosophy of the Baroque period is that of the post-renaissance era, or from another perspective, it is the era of the post­ religious reformation movement, beginning in approximately on the year 1570 CE and continued beyond 1650 CE. Stromberg then highlights the seventeenth century as an age of reasoning, “Battered by the terrific crisis of the Reformation, Europe came up with the scientific and intellectual renaissance of the seventeenth century.” Stromberg cites Galileo, Newton, Descartes, Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke and Leibniz to assert that the seventeenth century CE was the age of reasoning. Stromberg enthuses then of “that extraordinary chapter of intellectual history, the eighteenth century Enlightenment,” before speaking of the ideological character of the nineteenth century CE.

Zama ya Mwangaza (Kifaransa: Siècle des Lumières) ni istilahi inayotumika kueleza falsafa iliyotawala barani Ulaya katika karne ya kumi na nane Milaadi, kuanzia mwaka 1715 hadi 1789 Milaadi, hasa nchini Ufaransa, Uingereza na Ujerumani. Hivyo, mwanahistoria wa Kifaransa Pierre Chaunu, mwandishi wa kitabu The Civilization of Europe of Enlightenment (Kifaransa: La civilisation de l'Europe des Lumières), alizungumzia mwangaza wa Ulaya katika lugha tatu, kwa kuzipanga kwa umuhimu kama Kifaransa, Kiingereza na Kijerumani. Bryan S. Turner, katika kitabu chake The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology, anasema kuhusu Mwangaza kwamba: "Katika mapokeo ya Kimagharibi, Mwangaza (eclaircissement, aufklärung) unarejelea mchakato wa kuwa na mantiki katika fikra na vitendo. Unaweza kuwa wa mtu binafsi au wa jamii nzima. Kwa vyovyote vile, akili inawakilishwa kama mwanga unaoangaza ufahamu na kuondoa giza la ujinga na ushirikina."

The Age of Enlightenment (French: Siecle des Lumieres) is the terminology used to express the philosophy that prevailed in Europe in the eighteenth century CE, from 1715 to 1789 CE, specifically in France, English and Germany. Thus, the French historian Pierre Chaunu, author of The Civilization of Europe of Enlightenment (French: La civilisation de I'Europe des Lumieres) spoke of the enlightenment of Europe, in three languages, ordered by significance as French, English and German. Bryan S. Turner’s The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology states regarding Enlightenment that “In the western tradition, Enlightenment (eclaircissement, aufklarung) refers to the process of becoming rational in thought and action. It can be individual or society-wide. Either way, reason is figured as a light that illuminates the understanding and dispels the darkness of ignorance and superstition.”.

Roland N. Stromberg anaelezea mjadala mkali uliofanyika wakati wa Mwangaza (Enlightenment), katika kitabu chake European Intellectual History Since 1789, akiwataja wale waliokubali "upinzani wa kideisti dhidi ya ukleri" (deistic anticlericalism), pia akieleza mtazamo wa William James kwamba: "Dhana au mawazo mbalimbali ambamo dini zinajidhihirisha kwa nje si ya msingi; ni maganda tu ya dini. Kilicho cha msingi ni silika ya kuamini, na haja ya roho ya binadamu kujieleza."

Roland N. Stromberg depicts the intense debate during the Enlightenment, European Intellectual History Since 1789, referring to those who adopted “deistic anticlericalism” as well as describing William James’ viewpoint as “the various myths or conceptualizations in which religions are objectively embodied are not fundamental; they are the mere husks of religion. What is basic is the instinct to believe, the need for the human spirit to express itself.”.

Gunnar Skirbekk na Nils Gilje waliandika katika kitabu chao, A History of Western Thought from Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century, “Kipindi cha Mwangaza kilikuwa hivyo kimetiwa alama ya matumaini yanayoendelea ndani ya tabaka la kati linalopanuka: imani mpya iliyoamshwa katika akili na katika mwanadamu. Kulikuwa na Umasihi uliofanywa wa kidunia, ambamo akili ilichukua nafasi ya Injili. Kwa msaada wa akili, mwanadamu sasa angegundua kiini cha ndani kabisa cha uhalisia na kupata maendeleo ya kimaada. Mwanadamu polepole angekuwa huru, akiachana na mamlaka isiyo na msingi na ulezi wa kitheolojia. Fikra zilikombolewa kwa sababu mwanadamu alijiona kuwa anajitawala na yuko huru kutokana na ufunuo na mapokeo. Kutokuamini Mungu kukawa mtindo.”.

Gunnar Skirbekk and Nils Gilje wrote in their book, A History of Western Thought from Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century, “The period of the Enlightenment was thus marked by progressive optimism within the expanding middle class: a newly awakened confidence in reason and in man. There was a secularized Messianism, in which reason supplanted the Gospel. By the aid of reason, man would now uncover the innermost essence of reality and achieve material progress. Man would gradually become autonomous, dispensing with groundless authority and theological tutelage. Thought was liberated because man felt himself to be self-governed and independent of revelation and tradition. Atheism became fashionable.”.

Dhana ya Mwangaza (Enlightenment) katika fikra za Magharibi imeunganishwa na dhana ya usasa (modernity). Kuna wanaoona Mwangaza kuwa mtangulizi wa usasa. Kuna wanaoona kwamba hizi mbili ni sawa na zenye maana moja. Kuna wanaoona kwamba Mwangaza umeibuka kutokana na usasa. Pia kuna wanaosema kwamba neno Mwangaza ni maelezo ya fikra iliyoliangaza giza la Magharibi kwa nuru ya akili na maarifa. Kwa upande wa usasa, ni maelezo ya fikra iliyoleta usasa wa kisasa katika maarifa yake na mbinu zake, kama mapumziko kutoka zama za kale.

The concept of Enlightenment in the Western thought is interconnected to the concept of modernity. There are those who consider Enlightenment a precursor to modernity. There are those who consider both to be synonymous. There are those who view that enlightenment emerged from modernity. There are those who say the term enlightenment is a description of a thought that enlightened the darkness of the West, with the light of reason and knowledge. As for modernity, it is the description of the thought that introduced contemporariness in its knowledge and methods, in a break from antiquity.

Bila kujali nadharia mbalimbali, msingi na jiwe kuu la usasa (usasa wa kisasa) ni kuondolewa kwa dini, kuwekwa pembeni au kutenganishwa kwake na maisha, jambo linalodhihirishwa katika msimamo wa mwanafalsafa wa Kijerumani Martin Heidegger, na hilo linaendana na Mwangaza (Enlightenment). Hii pia inaonyesha kwamba usasa na Mwangaza ni maelezo ya jambo hilo hilo. Mwanasosholojia wa Kifaransa Alain Touraine anasema katika kitabu chake *Critique of Modernity* (Kifaransa: *Critique de la modernite*) kwamba, "Dhana ya usasa inaifanya sayansi, badala ya Mungu, kuwa kitovu cha jamii, na katika kiwango cha juu kabisa inaiweka imani za kidini ndani ya nyanja ya ndani ya maisha. Hii ni upande mmoja, na upande mwingine, kuwepo tu kwa matumizi ya kiteknolojia ya sayansi hakuturuhusu kuzungumzia jamii ya kisasa. Shughuli ya kiakili pia lazima ilindwe dhidi ya propaganda za kisiasa na imani za kidini... dhana ya usasa kwa hiyo imeunganishwa kwa karibu na ile ya upangaji wa kimantiki (rationalization)."

Irrespective of the various theories, the foundation and cornerstone of modernity is religion’s abolition, sidelining or separation from life, exemplified in the stance of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger, and it is in accordance with Enlightenment. This also indicates that both modernity and Enlightenment are a description of the same phenomenon. The French sociologist Alain Touraine says in his Critique of Modernity (French: Critique de la modernite) that, “The idea of modernity makes science, rather than God, central to society, and at best relegates religious beliefs to the inner realm of life. This is on one side and on the other side, the mere presence of technological applications of science does not allow us to speak of a modern society. Intellectual activity must also be protected from both political propaganda and religious beliefs... the idea of modernity is therefore closely associated with that of rationalization.”.

Hapa swali linajitokeza: Kwa nini historia ya fikra za Magharibi, ambayo inaelezwa kama Mwangaza (Enlightenment) na usasa (modernity), inazunguka katika mada ya kukataa, kutenganisha, kuweka pembeni na kuondoa dini?

Here the question arises: Why does the history of Western thought, that is described as Enlightenment and modernity, revolve around the subject of rejecting, separating, sidelining and detaching religion?

Jibu linahitaji kurejelea kipindi cha historia ya Magharibi kiitwacho Zama za Kati, tofauti na zama za usasa. Bertrand Russell alisema katika kitabu chake, A History of Western Philosophy, kwamba "Kipindi cha historia kinachoitwa kwa kawaida "usasa" kina mtazamo wa kiakili unaotofautiana na ule wa kipindi cha zama za kati kwa njia nyingi. Kati ya hizo, mbili ndizo muhimu zaidi: kupungua kwa mamlaka ya Kanisa, na kuongezeka kwa mamlaka ya sayansi." Ulaya wakati wa Zama za Kati ilikuwa Ulaya ambamo Kanisa lilikuwa na mamlaka kamili na pekee, likitawala maisha, mwanadamu, jamii na dola. Morris Bishop anasema katika kitabu chake, The Middle Ages, kwamba "Kanisa, kwa jumla, lilikuwa zaidi ya mlinzi wa utamaduni wa zama za kati; lilikuwa utamaduni wa zama za kati wenyewe." Bishop pia anasema, "Kanisa na mafundisho yake yalienea katika maisha yote ya mwanadamu. Mtu hakuweza kufanya biashara, kukata kidole, au kupoteza chombo cha kilimo bila kuomba upendeleo wa mbinguni."

The answer necessitates our referring to the time period of Western history called the Middle Ages, distinct from the era of modernity. Bertrand Russell stated his book, A History of Western Philosophy, that “The period of history which is commonly called “modern” has a mental outlook which differs from that of the medieval period in many ways. Of these, two are the most important: the diminishing authority of the Church, and the increasing authority of science.” Europe during the Middle Ages was a Europe with the Church having absolute sovereignty and sole authority, dominating life, man, society and the state. Morris Bishop states in his book, The Middle Ages that “The church was, in sum, more than the patron of medieval culture; it was medieval culture.” Bishop also states, “The church and its teachings pervaded man’s entire life. One could not strike bargain, cut finger, or lose farm tool without invoking celestial favor.”.

Katika Enzi za Kati, Kanisa lilikuwa likipanua mamlaka yake na utawala wake juu ya jamii kwa jina la dini, kulingana na mtazamo wa kifalsafa wa kiskolastiki uliojitokeza katika karne ya kumi na tatu, baada ya kupitishwa kwa fikra zilizopatanishwa kati ya falsafa ya Kiarisototeli na theolojia ya Kikristo. Fikra hii ilihusishwa na dhana na mafundisho kadhaa yasiyo sahihi kuhusu binadamu, maumbile, ulimwengu na maisha. Ilikubaliwa na kudaiwa kuwa ya kweli kabisa, ilhali uhakika ulitoka kwa mamlaka takatifu isiyokosea. Hakukubaliwa tafsiri wala maendeleo wala mabadiliko yoyote. Mtu alipaswa kuiamini, kuitii na kuifuata. Kanisa lilikataa mtazamo au kauli yoyote iliyopingana na mafundisho yake. Lilikataa fikra yoyote iliyodhoofisha uaminifu wake. Hivyo, Kanisa lilitumia njia za adhabu dhidi ya wale waliojitenga na mafundisho yake. Lilitumia mbinu ya kutengwa na kanisa (excommunication) na kuwashtaki kwa kufuru dhidi ya upotovu wa imani na uzushi. Lilikandamiza harakati yoyote ya kiakili au kisayansi iliyopinga tafsiri zake na kukanusha dhana zake.

In the Middle Ages, the Church was extending its sovereignty and hegemony over the society in the name of religion, according to the scholastic philosophical vision that formed in the thirteenth century, upon the adoption of thought reconciled between the philosophy of Aristotelian and Christian theology. This thought was associated with a number of erroneous concepts and teachings about man, nature, universe and life. It was adopted and claimed as absolute, whilst certainties emerged from the holy infallible authority. No interpretation or development or change was accepted. One must believe in it, submit to it and be compliant to it. The Church used to refuse any view or saying that contradicted its teachings. It rejected any thought that undermined its credibility. Thus the Church used means of punishment for those who left its teachings. It adopted the method of excommunication and charging blasphemy against heterodoxy and heresy. It suppressed any intellectual or scientific movement that challenged its interpretations and refuted its concepts.

Hivyo ndivyo harakati za mateso ya kanisa zilivyoanza dhidi ya wanafikra waliokosoa mafundisho yake na ufisadi uliokithiri. Mwaka 1415 WK, Mcheki John Huss (lohannes Hus), aliyekosoa ufisadi wa Kanisa na kulishutumu kwa kuiacha misingi yake, alichomwa moto hadharani. Mwaka 1498 WK, Girolamo Savonarola aliteswa, akanyongwa kisha akachomwa moto nchini Italia. Mwaka 1612, Bartholomew Legate na Edward Wightman walichomwa moto nchini Uingereza kwa tuhuma za uzushi. Georges Minois alisema katika kitabu chake, Kanisa na Sayansi: Historia ya Mgogoro (Kifaransa: L'Eglise et la science. Histoire d'un malentendu), kwamba "Tangu mwaka 1544, Shule ya Theolojia ya Paris ilikuwa ikilaani Maoni ya Kiaristotle, yaliyoandikwa na Pierre de La Ramee, aliyemkosoa mwanafalsafa Aristotle, na alikatazwa kufundisha. Mwaka 1546, Etienne Dolet aliteswa. Kufikia mwisho wa karne, mashtaka yaliongezeka. Patrizi alisumbuliwa kwa kiasi fulani na Ofisi Takatifu mwaka 1595. Campanella alikamatwa kwa mara ya kwanza mwaka 1594 baada ya Mahakama ya Kuhukumu Wazushi (Ofisi Takatifu) kuiba karatasi zake. Giordano Bruno aliuawa mwaka 1600. Mwaka 1601 likafuata la 1602, Chuo Kikuu cha Paris kilianzishwa, kikafuatiwa na bunge kwa lengo la kuthibitisha tena mamlaka ya mafundisho ya Peripatetiki. Campanella alihukumiwa kifungo cha maisha mwaka 1601...Mwaka 1616, shule ya mawazo ya Copernicus (Kipolandi: Kopernik) ilitangazwa kuwa shule ya mawazo ya kizushi. Ulimi wa Vanini ulikatwa na alichomwa moto akiwa hai, kwa hukumu iliyotolewa na Bunge la Toulouse likimtaja kama mnajimu, mfuatiliaji wa mambo ya siri, na asiyeamini Mungu. Mwaka 1624, waandishi watatu waliopinga Uaristotle walifukuzwa ndani ya saa ishirini na nne kwa ombi la Kitivo cha Theolojia cha Paris. Mwaka 1629, hatua zilichukuliwa dhidi ya baadhi ya wanakemia waliopinga Uaristotle... Ofisi Takatifu ilimlaani Galileo na kumlazimisha kuwekwa kizuizini nyumbani."

Thus the movement of ecclesiastical persecution began against the thinkers who criticized its teachings and rampant corruption. In the year 1415 CE, the Czech John Huss (lohannes Hus), who criticized the corruption of the Church and accused it of departing from its principles, was burned at the stake. In the year 1498 CE Girolamo Savonarola was tortured, hanged and then burnt in Italy. In the year 1612, Bartholomew Legate and Edward Wightman were burnt in England, due to the accusation of heresy. Georges Minois stated in his book, The Church and Science: History of Conflict (French: L’Eglise et la science. Histoire d’un malentendu) that “Since 1544, The Paris School of Theology had been condemning the Aristotelian Observations, authored by Pierre de La Ramee, who criticized the philosopher Aristotle, and he was prohibited to teach. In the year 1546, The Etienne Dolet was tortured. By the end of the century, the prosecutions were multiplied. Patrizi was subjected to some harassment from the Holy Office in 1595. Campanella was arrested for the first time in 1594 after the Inquisition (the Holy Office) had stolen his papers. Giordano Bruno was executed in 1600. In the year 1601 followed by the year 1602, the University of Paris was established followed by the parliament to reiterate the authority of peripatetic doctrine. Campanella was sentenced with life imprisonment in 1601...In 1616, Copernicus (Polish: Kopernik) school of thought was declared as a heretical school of thought. The tongue of Vanini was cut out and he was burnt alive, upon the verdict passed by the Parliament of Toulouse describing him as an astrologer, occultist, and atheist. In 1624, three authors opposed to Aristotelianism were expelled within twenty-four hours based on the request of the Faculty of Theology in Paris. In 1629, measures were taken against some anti-Aristotelian chemists... The holy office condemned Galileo and forced him to be under house arrest.”.

Hata hivyo, mfululizo wa ugunduzi wa kisayansi ulifanywa na waanzilishi wa harakati za kisayansi huko Magharibi, kama vile Copernicus (d. 1543), Johannes Kepler (d. 1630) na Galileo Galilei (d. 1642), ambao ulipunguza imani katika dhana ya Kanisa na kudhoofisha uaminifu wake. Haya yaliimarisha imani kwa wanafikra wa Magharibi kwa sababu ya uwezo wao wa kisayansi na mafanikio yao. Utafiti wa kisayansi na uasi dhidi ya Kanisa uliendelea. Kuibuka kwa kila ugunduzi mpya na kila fikra ya kisasa kulifanya kazi kama kibarua cha kuchimba, kilichochangia uharibifu wa jengo la kifikra la Kanisa. Hivyo Kanisa lilipigwa vibao vichungu kutoka kwa Newton (d. 1757), Linnaeus (d. 1778), Lavoisier (d. 1794), Claude Bernard (d. 1878) na Darwin (d. 1882), kiasi kwamba utawala wa Kanisa ulipungua taratibu. Kanisa halikuhitajika tena kufanyiwa marekebisho, kama ilivyoonekana katika harakati za Martin Luther (d. 1546) na Jean Calvin (d. 1564), ambazo zilisababisha Vita vya Miaka Thelathini (1618-1648), ambavyo matokeo yake yalikuwa mabaya mno kwa mataifa ya Ulaya. Haikuhitajika tena kulirekebisha Kanisa tu. Badala yake, ilihitajika kuliangusha kabisa. Jambo hilo lilihitimishwa kwa kukashifu mafundisho yote ya kikasisi, kukanusha dhana zake, mafundisho yake na mitazamo yake ya kifikra, kabisa.

Nevertheless, a series of scientific discoveries were undertaken by the pioneers of scientific movements in the West, such as Copernicus (d. 1543), Johannes Kepler (d. 1630) and Galileo Galilei (d. 1642), that shook trust in the concept of the Church and undermined its credibility. These strengthened trust in Western thinkers by virtue of their scientific ability and success. The scientific research and the defiance of the Church continued. The emergence of every new discovery and every modern thought acted as a pickaxe that contributed to the destruction of the Church’s intellectual edifice. Thus there were painful blows to the Church from Newton (d. 1757), Lisnnaeus (d. 1778), Lavoisier (d 1794), Claude Bernard (d. 1878), and Darwin (d. 1882), such that the dominance of the church gradually waned. The Church was no longer required to be reformed, as apparent in the movement of Martin Luther (d. 1546) and Jean Calvin (d. 1564) that resulted into the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), whose result was catastrophic to the European nations. It was no longer required to merely reform the Church. Instead, it was required to demolish it. The matter concluded with the defamation of priestly ecclesiastical teachings in its entirety, refuting its concepts, teachings and intellectual perceptions, absolutely.

Maneno maarufu ya mwanafalsafa wa Scotland David Hume (d. 1776) katika kitabu chake, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, yanafupisha mtazamo wa wasomi kuhusu Kanisa, elimu yake na mbinu zake katika karne ya kumi na nane CE, kwa kusema: “Tukichukua mkononi mwetu kitabu chochote cha theolojia au cha metafizikia ya kiskolastiki, kwa mfano, tujiulize: je, kina hoja dhahania kuhusu kiasi au idadi? Hapana. Je, kina hoja za kiuzoefu kuhusu mambo ya ukweli na kuwepo? Hapana. Basi kitupeni motoni, kwa maana hakiwezi kuwa na kitu chochote isipokuwa upotoshaji wa hoja na udanganyifu.”

The famous phrase of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (d. 1776) in his book, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, summarizes the view of scholars about the Church, its knowledge and methods in the eighteenth century CE, by saying, “If we take in our hand any volume - of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance - let us ask, does it contain any abstract reasoning about quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experiential reasoning about matters of fact and existence? No. Then throw it in the fire, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.”.

Kuanguka kwa Kanisa kulisindikizwa na kuporomoka kwa mafundisho yake na dhana zake kuhusu ulimwengu, mwanadamu, maisha na jamii. Jambo hili lilisindikizwa na kuongezeka kwa imani katika Magharibi kuhusu uwezo wa akili ya binadamu kufichua siri za ulimwengu, maumbile na mwanadamu. Hivyo, akili ya Magharibi ilianza, hatua kwa hatua, kuchukua nafasi ya Kanisa "la kimungu" na theolojia yake. Usababu (rationalism) ukaibuka ili kueleza matukio ya kianga, huku vigezo vya kijamii vikichanganuliwa kulingana na mitazamo ya kiakili, huru kutokana na vizuizi vyote vya kipadri au vya kidini. Will Durant alieleza katika kitabu chake, The Story of Civilization Volume 7, kwamba "Sayansi sasa ilianza kujikomboa kutoka kwenye kondo la uzazi la mama yake, falsafa. Ilimtupa Aristotle mgongoni mwake, ikageuza uso wake kutoka metafizikia kuelekea Maumbile, ikaendeleza mbinu zake tofauti, na ikalenga kuboresha maisha ya binadamu duniani. Harakati hii ilikuwa katikati ya Enzi ya Akili, lakini haikuweka imani yake katika "akili safi" - akili isiyotegemea uzoefu na majaribio. Mara nyingi sana hoja kama hizo zilisokota mitandao ya kihekaya."

The fall of the Church accompanied its teachings and concepts about universe, man, life and society. This was accompanied by a growing confidence in the West about the abilities of the human mind to reveal the secrets of the universe, nature and man. Thus, reason in the West began replacing the “divine” church and its theology, gradually. Rationalism emerged to explain the cosmic phenomena, whilst societal parameters were analyzed according to rational views, free from all priestly or religious restrictions. Will Durant expressed in his book, The Story of Civilization Volume 7 that “Science now began to liberate itself from the placenta of its mother, philosophy. It shrugged Aristotle from its back, turned its face from metaphysics to Nature, developed its own distinctive methods, and looked to improve the life of man on the earth. This movement belonged to the heart of the Age of Reason, but it did not put its faith in “pure reason”- reason independent of experience and experiment. Too often such reasoning had woven mythical webs.”.

Hivyo basi mawazo mapya kuhusu binadamu, akili, elimu, jamii, siasa, uchumi, dola, utawala na kanuni yakajitokeza kwa nguvu. Maoni ya Francis Bacon (d. 1626), Rene Descartes (d. 1650), Blaise Pascal (d. 1662), Baruch Spinoza (d. 1677), Thomas Hobbes (d. 1679), John Locke (d. 1704), Montesquieu (d. 1755), Voltaire (1778), na Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1778), Adam Smith (d. 1790), Immanuel Kant (d. 1804), Jeremy Bentham (d. 1832), John Stuart Mill (d. 1873) na wengineo yalichangia katika kuweka misingi ya fikra za kisasa za Magharibi.

Thus the new thoughts about humankind, reasoning, knowledge, society, politics, economy, state, ruling and canons became prominent. The views of Francis Bacon (d. 1626), Rene Descartes (d. 1650), Blaise Pascal (d. 1662), Baruch Spinoza (d. 1677), Thomas Hobbes (d. 1679), John Locke (d. 1704), Montesquieu (d. 1755), Voltaire (1778), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1778), Adam Smith (d. 1790), Immanuel Kant (d. 1804), Jeremy Bentham (d. 1832), John Stuart Mill (d. 1873) and others contributed to laying the foundations of modern Western thought.

Hii ni muhtasari wa jinsi fikra za kisasa za Magharibi zilivyoundwa, kama zinavyosimuliwa na wanahistoria wa Magharibi. Bila kujali usahihi wa historia ya fikra za Magharibi, na bila kujali kutenganisha ukweli na hadithi zilizotiwa chumvi zinazotumikia propaganda ya tunachokiita "muujiza wa Magharibi," uliozaa ustaarabu wa Mwangaza na usasa, bora kwetu ni kuchunguza asili ya fikra hizi za Magharibi, ili tujue hali yake halisi, kisha tufichue upotovu wake.

This is the summary of the formation of modern Western thought, as narrated by the Western historians. Regardless of the accuracy in the history of Western thought, distinguishing facts from exaggerated myth serving the propaganda of the so-called Western miracle, that produced the civilization of Enlightenment and modernity, regardless of all of that, it is best for us to examine at the nature of this Western thought, to know its reality and then expose its corruption.