19th century progressivism and egalitarianism
Things were so changing: the English Glorious Revolution of 1688, the American Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of 1789. The rise of scientism (1650 to 1750) … its technological application fostering the industrial revolution (1750 to 1850). A sociological result is that by 1850 attention was being paid to the tribulations of and exploitation of a whole new layer of the population: the industrial proletariat (especially under the guise of the new socialist movement).
Those nineteenth century reformers and radicals tried hard to analyze the extant social problems and find solutions. Their initial theories proved superficial. It would take another hundred years of delving deeper and deeper into the complexities of human history and the human condition for fuller explications to emerge.
