Paul de Man once said: “Modernity exists in the form of a desire to erase everything that has gone before, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure.” But what is he really trying to say? Does modernity eliminate the old and introduce the new, continually updating itself towards something else? Modernity appears as a concept of change. It most commonly refers to the social conditions, processes, and discourses arising from the Age of Enlightenment. The concept of modernity captures the progress of societies, from primitive civilizations, which gradually evolved through distinct phases, reaching a modern age characterized by industrialization and capitalism, concluding in the current postmodern state of globalization that shapes contemporary society with ever-increasing coercion. Modernity can be placed in many different time periods. There are two, however, that are the most relevant: early modernity and classical modernity. Early modernity consisted of theorists such as Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Alexis de Tocqueville. Classical modernity consisted of theorists such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Many theorists have defined their own form of “modernity” which will be discussed in this article. Karl Marx focused on capitalism and increased social conflict as the basis of modernity. Marx believed that capitalism through industrialization increased the productive capacity of the economy. However, he also believed that capitalism produced two opposing classes of people. The first class, which owned and controlled the means of production and wage workers, was known as the bourgeoisie. The second class, which was com......middle of paper......s modernity. He considered socialism even more harmful than capitalism. He thought that alienating bureaucracies would gain even greater control over people. Durkheim had an optimistic vision of modernity. He predicted greater freedom for individuals, ideal for individuals within societies. However, he was concerned about the risks of anomie, a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals. In conclusion, the world is constantly changing, both for better and for worse. Whether or not modernity is to blame is not easily understandable. Modernity is seen by many different people in many different ways. Pre-modern societies have unmistakably transformed due to the circumstances underlined by modernity, leaving a new modern era of society for which people must explore and search for a new meaning of society.