story: The leap into the unknown and the paradoxes of great seafaring

The historical and philosophical depth of that epoch of the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times leads to a time when the mighty continent was discovered by mistake. This event is one of the most momentous and at the same time most paradoxical moments in Western history. The Genoese seafarer was rock-proof of the much shorter distance between Europe and Asia. he brokewithout realizing that the huge continent lay between the separate parts of the world. This expedition characterizes the indissoluble intertwining of truth, error and paradox.

The shorter distance illusion

The explorer made the most spectacular discoveries in Western history without realizing what he had actually found. The sole truth he experienced was the spherical shape of the earth. Even this realization was not proven experimentally by his journey, since he never reached the longed-for Asia. The journey would be without the unexpected presence of theContinent between Western Europe and Japan failed miserably. The supplies would never have been enough to overcome the distance, which was far greater than expected. The intervening land saved the crew from dying of thirst in the endless ocean.

The rescue by the unrecognized mainland

Until the end of his life, the Navigator was convinced that he had landed on islands somewhere between Japan and China. In reality, he reached areas off Central America and entered the originally colonized island, now known as Haiti. Despite his pronounced arrogance, he greatly underestimated his own earnings. He only believed the new route to Indiato have found instead of opening up the continent, which was completely unknown to antiquity. Like many other contemporaries, he attributed the unknown to the known.

adherence to traditional worldviews

His thinking was deeply shaped by ancient authorities, medieval worldviews and dogmatic ideas. The question arises as to how that adventure could be undertaken at all. The venture was based on the network of errors, daring speculations and rigid beliefs. The Europeans on the threshold of modern times undertook numerous daring expeditions. herCrossed the western boundaries of the well-known world, circumnavigated the Cape of Good Hope, reached India and finally circumnavigated the earth. Some philosophical thinkers saw the engine of these sea voyages in the spiritual principle or world spirit and interpreted the maritime expansion as a spiritual basis for later industrial development.

The spirit of expansion and the overcoming of borders

Other voices ask whether this urge of seafarers was the starting point of bourgeois modernism, which was released from feudal shackles. It may rather be the return of ancient imperialism, which forced dominion on the peoples of the earth. These sea voyages were not just technical achievements. They were an expression of the deeply rooted cultural self-understanding.Expansion, domination and appropriation were considered legitimate forms of world encounter.

Between bourgeois modernity and ancient rule

The maps of that time were based on ancient sources that had miscalculated the size of the earth. Medieval scholars took over these mistakes, and the famous seafarer used these errors to enforce his plans. The European courts were driven by competition, striving for power and economic interests. The search for new trade routes was the strategicneed. Maritime expansion was not only out of curiosity, but from a cool political calculation. The discovery of the New World triggered the chain of events that linked colonization, exploitation, cultural destruction and global networking.

The fatal errors of ancient geography

This epoch illustrates how closely error and knowledge, hubris and discovery, coincidence and world history are intertwined. The opening up of the New World was not the result of clear knowledge. It was the product of the daring jump into the unknown, carried by false assumptions, but also by unshakable will. The ambivalence of this time calls at the same time admiration andcriticism. The exciting question remains whether the great discoveries of history really arose from knowledge or from the courage to follow the error.