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Outline
1-Introduction
Although some interpret postmodernism as the end of modernity, the ongoing pursuit of political legitimacy, the hybridization of economic systems, and the expansion of scientific and technological innovation demonstrate that modernity remains a reflexive, evolving, and unending project rather than a completed historical phase.
2-The historical evolution of modernity
3-Moderneity as a project of evolution, innovation, and progress
4-The multidimensional influence of modernity on the contemporary world
5-How is modernity really an unending project?
5.1-In the political domain
- ✓The unending pursuit of legitimacy and sovereignty
- Evidence: The World Bank’s 2017 report stating that the state’s legitimacy is constantly being tested and must be reaffirmed through its responsiveness in this cycle, proving the unending project of political legitimacy
- ✓The ongoing contest of attaining secularism
- Evidence: The Almond Theory clearly depicting how religious and secular groups foster policy change, blending religious ethics with secular law, and making secularism a dynamic and unfinished project of modernity
5.2-In the economic domain
- ✓The persistent influence of globalization
- Evidence: According to the World Bank’s 2020 Report, global trade increasing from 39% of world GDP in 1990 to over 60% of the world GDP, mainly due to the enhanced influence of globalization
- ✓The hybridization of economic models
- Evidence: The Nordic Model of a capitalist market economy, but with high taxes funding healthcare and education, making a robust welfare state, and highlighting a reflexive adaptation to prevent social unrest
5.3-In the social domain
- ✓The continued expansion of urbanization
- Evidence: According to the UN’s World Cities Report (2016), the growth of slums, a permanent feature of rapid urbanization in the developing world, making slum upgrading a continuous, cyclical process
- ✓The prevalent endeavor to attain gender equality
- Evidence: The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2023 report estimating it would take 131 years to close the global gender gap at the current rate of progress, highlighting a multi-generational, ongoing endeavor to bridge the gap and making modernity a continuous project
5.4-In the technological domain
- ✓The acceleration of information technology
- Evidence: Companies, like Neuralink, working on BCIs with the explicit goal of merging human consciousness with AI, making it the modern drive for progress applied directly to the human mind
- ✓The evolution of Biotech
- Evidence: According to the New England Journal of Medicine’s (NEJM) 2024 Report, the incredibly rapid development of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, a triumph of the modern scientific method, providing the tools and momentum for modern projects
7-Case study explicitly revealing that modernity is an unending project
- ✓Nepal
6-On what basis do critics argue that modernity is a finished project?
- ✓Counterargument: The failure of international institutions to prevent perpetual warfare signals conflict is permanent and inevitable, marking the postmodern revelation that modernity’s project of achieving peace through rational organization has failed.
- Refutation: The goal of the project is not a conflict-free utopia, but the continuous process of building and adapting institutions through reason, science, and rationality to manage conflicts, proving that the project is continuous, dynamic, and reflexive, far from being obsolete.
- Counterargument: The culture of neo-colonialism, using economic projects to create hegemony under the guise of mutual growth, has highlighted the underlying, unchanged power logic, making modernity a finished project.
- Refutation: Modern tools, such as agreements, finance, and international law, are used to create interdependence and shared prosperity, making projects more peaceful and mutually beneficial, proving the project of modernity is unending, more inclusive, and fair.
8-Conclusion
Modernity has long stood as the defining force behind humanity’s intellectual, political, economic, and technological transformation. Emerging in Europe and gradually spreading across the world, it reoriented societies toward rationality, institutional reform, scientific inquiry, and the belief in progress. Far from being a static phenomenon, modernity has evolved through successive waves, from the Enlightenment’s rational optimism and the Industrial Revolution’s mechanization to today’s digital, globalized, and hybridized world order. Yet, as postmodern thinkers claim, the fragmentation of grand narratives, the persistence of conflict, and the rise of neo-colonial power structures supposedly indicate the end of modernity’s project. However, this assumption collapses when confronted with the observable reality of contemporary global transformation. The unending pursuit of legitimacy and sovereignty, the continuous refinement of economic models, and the accelerating advances in information technology, biotechnology, and scientific innovation highlight that modernity has not concluded: it has merely entered a new, reflexive phase. Indeed, the essence of the modern project was never to achieve a perfect equilibrium but to question, correct, and reinvent human systems constantly. This essay argues that modernity remains an unending project, continuously reshaping political orders, economic structures, social relations, and technological horizons in the twenty-first century.
Before moving down the ladder, having a glance at the historical evolution of modernity is crucial. Its roots can be traced back to Europe with the advent of the Renaissance in the 18th century, which planted the seeds of secularism and rationality. Subsequently, during the Enlightenment, people began to recognize individual rights as supreme values through reason and rational thought, and they started to raise their voices against monarchies. Following this transformation, in the 19th century, democratic institutions replaced monarchies, and the Industrial Revolution marked economic development. As this momentum continued, following the democratic progress, various political ideologies and movements emerged to fight for the unfulfilled promises of the Enlightenment, leading to a continuous process of change. From the late 20th century to the present, globalization and technological advancements have opened new avenues for economic progress and social development, ultimately advancing the project of modernity.
With this historical backdrop in mind and before analyzing the multidimensional influence of modernity on the contemporary world, understanding modernity’s core project, characterized by evolution, innovation, and progress, is pertinent. Indeed, it simply draws a line between the past and the present, discourages social stagnation, and favors ultimate progress through reason, science, and technology. In this regard, René Descartes, the philosopher who coined the term modernity, aptly said that modernity, through philosophy and science, would make men the masters of nature. Moreover, it emphasizes faith in progress depicted by a continuous evolution from the rejection of traditional values to the embrace of rationalization through industrialization and technological advancements. Consequently, these characteristic features of modernity make people more accommodating, refining their society while keeping in view the concepts of reasoning and logic.
Building on this conceptual foundation, modernity continues to influence the contemporary world in multidimensional ways. Indeed, it revolutionizes people’s thinking, fostering innovation and promoting individual freedom rather than clinging to traditional, rigid beliefs. Likewise, the expansion of social movements demanding intersectional equality beyond earlier campaigns for fundamental rights is an outcome of modernity. At the same time, it is the grace of modernity that the scientific and industrial revolutions have opened new horizons in technology and innovation. For example, the rapid evolution from GPT-3 to GPT-4, and from competitors like Google’s Gemini and DeepSeek, shows a relentless innovation cycle. Moreover, the ongoing contest among multiple economic ideologies and the growing interconnectedness of states primarily shape global patterns of economic development. Taken together, these developments clearly demonstrate how modernity influences the present world and has the potential to advance its agenda further.
Having established its broad influence, the main discussion turns to how modernity is, in fact, an unending project globally across political, economic, social, and technological domains. To begin with the political domain, states’ ongoing pursuit of legitimacy and sovereignty is the first and foremost manifestation of modernity being an unfinished project. Undoubtedly, sovereignty and legitimacy are the two foundational pillars of modern nation-states, dictating that states have the power to govern themselves and maintain a policy of non-interference to protect their sovereignty. However, in practice, the growing influence of international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, often overshadows these core principles. As a consequence, this fosters nations to protect their autonomy through reason and innovation while continuing to engage with such institutions. According to the World Bank’s 2017 Report, the state’s legitimacy is constantly being tested and must be reaffirmed through its responsiveness in this cycle, proving the unending project of political legitimacy. Therefore, nations’ enduring efforts to maintain their legitimacy and sovereignty ultimately keep the project of modernity alive.
Furthermore, the prevailing concept of secularism, which distances politics from religion, suggests that modernity is an unending global project. Although the idea of secularism persists, its implementation always remains a challenge because many religious organizations put pressure on leaders to make policies based on religious principles, ultimately inculcating religious values in the political system. As a result, this creates a struggle to foster a secular vision, consequently making modernity an unending project. To elaborate, the Almond Theory of Gabriel Almond clearly shows how pressure groups foster policy change, later blending religious ethics with secular law and making secularism a dynamic, unfinished project of modernity. In this regard, countries like India and South Africa are clearly trying to enshrine secular principles in their constitutions, thus providing powerful proof that modernity is an unending project globally.
In the economic domain, the persistent impacts of globalization have shown that modernity remains an unending global project. As globalization has increased the interconnectedness of states through trade, technological transfer, and investments, it has led to economic interdependence among them, making economic progress a collective objective. According to the World Bank’s 2020 Report, global trade increased from 39 percent of global GDP in 1990 to over 60 percent, mainly due to the growing influence of globalization. This is significant because it is not just statistics but a clear demonstration of how the integration of nations through globalization has enhanced their adaptability, ensuring their economic growth. Thus, globalization has fostered global adaptation for economic development, ultimately making modernity a persistent project.
Further, the hybridization of economic models to absorb financial shocks is a key manifestation of modernity as an ending global project. Indeed, the amalgamation of capitalism with other economic models, such as communism and socialism, in modern society acts as a catalyst for economic growth and an engine of dynamic change. Such a hybridization model has become an integral part of the world economy since the 2008 global financial crisis, when an extreme form of capitalism led to nearly $15 trillion in losses. Today, the Nordic Model is a prime example of a capitalist market economy with high taxes to fund a robust welfare state: universal healthcare and education, which has highlighted a reflexive adaptation to prevent social unrest. As a result, this adaptation has not only increased Nordic countries’ economic profits but also helped them negotiate in light of changing global dynamics, thus proving modernity to be an unending project worldwide.
In the social domain, the expansion of urbanization has made it clear that modernity is an unending project globally. Indeed, the migration of people from rural to urban areas due to the ongoing trend of industrialization and their endeavor for better living has led to the continuous process of mass management and urban planning. To support the argument, the United Nations World Cities Report (2016) states that the growth of slums is a permanent feature of rapid urbanization in the developing world, making slum upgrading a continuous and cyclical process. Thus, this shows how urbanization requires ongoing management for urban-centric development, making modernity a perpetual, unending project globally.
Additionally, the prevailing endeavor to attain gender equality globally evidences that modernity is not an ending project. Despite various global efforts that have been made to acquire gender equality, persistent gender based violence, increased wage gaps, and perpetual political discrimination have clarified that more efforts are still required to address gender disparity. For instance, the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Report has estimated that it would take 131 years to close the global gender gap at the current rate of progress. This indicates that a multi-generational, ongoing endeavor is needed to bridge the gap and ensure equal rights for all, regardless of gender. Hence, the continuing struggle to achieve gender equality clearly signals that the project of modernity is far from complete.
Not only in the social domain, but also in the technological arena, modernity is an unending project. For example, the acceleration of Information technology through reason and logic has opened new doors of competition and innovation for societies, making it an undying process. To further relate this, companies like Neuralink, working on Brain Computer Interfaces with the explicit goal of merging human consciousness with Artificial Intelligence (AI), have made it the modern drive for progress applied directly to the human mind. This has helped people decode neural signals and ignite cognitive abilities by leveraging AI, setting a new, advanced stage of human consciousness. Thus, the continued expansion of technology has paved the way for a global, unending journey of modernity.
Last but not least, the evolution of biotechnology is another demonstration of modernity being an unending project. The technological acceleration has made the medical field more progressive and creative. Indeed, scientists and medical engineers are constantly refining existing research and finding ways to protect the planet from multifaceted disease variants. According to the New England Journal of Medicine’s 2024 Report, the incredibly rapid development of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 was a triumph of the modern scientific method, providing the tools and momentum for contemporary projects. At the same time, as antibiotic-resistant infectious agents spread, new research and inventions have further fueled a virtuous cycle of combating those pathogens and developing new anti-infective drugs and vaccines globally. This ultimately proves that the evolution of Biotech is a key display of modernity as an unending project worldwide.
Collectively, the above-mentioned domains have proven that modernity is an unending project. And to further reinforce this argument, here is a case study of Nepal that highlights the modernity project’s dynamism and endless nature. In fact, Nepal’s transition from a monarchical to a democratic system in 2008 was a clear manifestation of modernity’s core objective. However, in reality, deep-rooted corruption in state institutions and the suppression of dissent have propelled mass movements against the regime. For example, in 2025, the country witnessed a youth-led mass movement demanding their right to freedom, transparency, and accountability of the ruling government. This clearly shows that the modernity’s goal of ensuring a fair and prosperous society remains unattained, requiring continuous renewal to achieve it.
Despite these arguments, some opponents argue that the modernity project has collapsed as the failure of international institutions to prevent perpetual warfare suggests that conflict is a permanent and inevitable feature of a world defined by competing power interests. This highlights the postmodern revelation that modernity’s idea of achieving peace through rational organization is failed. Nevertheless, while global institutions have failed to maintain peace, their consistent adaptation through reason, logic, and rational thought to manage conflicts is appreciable, proving that the project is everlasting. According to the International Crisis Group’s 2024 Report, United Nations resolutions, such as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2728 on Gaza, serve as a starting point for new phases of negotiation and diplomacy. This clearly shows that the passage of the resolution and the initiation of further dialogue are continuous processes of crisis management, thus making modernity an unending project.
In a similar vein, opponents further argue that the culture of neo-colonialism, using economic projects to create hegemony under the guise of mutual growth, reveals the unchanged power logic underlying modernity, rendering it a finished project. To elaborate on this criticism, China’s Belt and Road Initiative is often criticized as a modern form of colonialism, entangling participating countries in a debt trap. This would fulfil the pre-modern goal of dominance under the cover of mutual development. However, modern tools, such as agreements, finance, and international law, exist to create interdependence and make projects mutually beneficial. For example, the World Bank’s 2019 Report on the analysis of modern infrastructure initiatives, such as China’s Belt and Road, has identified opportunities for participating countries, including faster trade, poverty reduction, and growth. Hence, this rejects the notion that modern economic initiatives constitute neo-colonialism, proving that the project of modernity is unending, inclusive, and fair.
In conclusion, modernity emerges as a continuous and evolving project rather than a completed historical phase. Rooted in reason, innovation, and progress, it consistently reshapes political authority, economic organization, social relations, and technological advancement. Across these domains, modernity demands constant adaptation to new challenges, reflecting its dynamic and unfinished nature. Moreover, the recurring need for reform, inclusion, and responsiveness explains that modernity does not follow a fixed or linear endpoint. Instead, it advances through ongoing negotiation and transformation. Therefore, modernity remains an unending global process, ultimately driven by humanity’s persistent pursuit of rational improvement, social justice, and sustainable progress in an ever-changing world.
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