Once people envisioned the possibility of change in a fixed order, the end of an age of submission came in sight; the turn to individual conscience lay ahead. To that extent the Black Death may have been the unrecognized beginning of modern man.
In her book, "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century," Barbara W. Tuchman explores the profound effects of the Black Death on societal structures. She argues that the pandemic prompted a shift in people's perception of established norms and authority, leading them to contemplate significant changes in their lives. This period marked a crucial turning point away from blind submission to tradition and towards a greater emphasis on individual conscience and personal responsibility.
Tuchman suggests that the aftermath of the Black Death set the stage for modernity, as it catalyzed a re-evaluation of societal order and individual rights. The crisis forced people to confront their beliefs and the status quo, heralding a new era in which individualism began to flourish. Thus, the calamity of the plague may paradoxically have planted the seeds for the emergence of modern man and his quest for autonomy.
