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Kant calls the era of the Enlightenment the most important stage in human history marked by a fundamental change in the attitude of mankind to its inherent ability to judge. Kant believes that before the Enlightenment, humanity did not understand and did not properly use its inherent intelligent abili[A1] ty. Namely, it did not use it on its own: according to him, humanity was previously unable to use its reason “without guidance from another,” which Kant defines as a state of “immaturity” (Kant 1). Thus, the Enlightenment should be viewed primarily as a courageous step towards realizing the possibility of emancipation of the individual through the acquisition of knowledge, in the direction from any external influence.
Kant defines two basic conditions under which humanity can emerge from its immaturity. The first is to distinguish between what results from obedience and what derives from the use of reason. To briefly characterize the state of immaturity, Kant cites the common expression “obey without reasoning;” this, he believes, is the form in which, as a rule, military discipline, “political power,” and “religious authority are implemented (Kant 3-4). A person will become an ‘adult’ not because they will no longer obey, but because they will be told: “Argue as much as you want and about what you want, but obey” (Kant 6). Kant gives examples, at first glance, completely trivial: to pay taxes, but have the right to think whatever a person likes about the taxation system – that is what a state of maturity is. Another example is regular servicing to the parish, according to the laws of the church to which the person belongs, if he is a pastor, but think about religious dogmas as much as he likes.
At the same time, according to Kant, “to enlighten” is not a right, but a duty of all mankind. Moreover, to activate the ability to control one’s mind, freedom is needed, namely, the one embodied in the freeness of determination – after all, people are themselves responsible for their immaturity. Kant also draws attention to the problematic nature of the coexistence of civil and spiritual freedom and comes to a definite conclusion. He believes that the more civil freedom is given in the state, the less spiritual freedom remains, and, vice versa, the less civil freedom is given in the state, the more spiritual freedom there is[A2].
In addition, Kant distinguishes between public and private use of reason and gives them varying degrees of freedom. Namely, the public application of reason is called by him the “expression of spiritual freedom,” and Kant extends [A3] the mandatory requirement of freedom (Kant 3). However, in this context, Kant comes to the conviction that not every freedom is acceptable for an “enlightened state” and suggests the above “formula,” which determines the proper state of affairs: one can talk as much as they want, and about anything, but should obey (Kant 2). Kant does not require blind ‘animal’ submission, but one should use reason about the prevailing circumstances; in this case, the mind is subordinated to these specific goals. Hence, in Kant’s argumentation, in this case, a person cannot freely use reason.
In addition, reflecting on the modern for his era, Kant states that it is not yet an enlightened age since sufficient conditions have not been created for people to effectively use their minds. However, particularly in this epoch, the space for free improvement opens; therefore, this era is called the ‘age of enlightenment.’ It is not only a process by which individuals guarantee their freedom of thought. It is realized when there is a combination of universal, free, and public use of reason. Enlightenment cannot be perceived simply as a general process that affects all humanity. At the same time, it cannot be treated only as a duty prescribed to individuals: it arises as a political problem. Moreover, according to Kant, the Enlightenment should take place gradually. It should develop rather in an evolutionary way than in a revolutionary one since, through revolution, it is only possible to eliminate despotism and oppression, but one cannot change the way of thinking of people[A4].
The concept of human dignity in Kant’s article plays an essential role. This provision is the core of the text: at the beginning of argumentation flow, it characterizes the person who has reached adulthood, that is, independently, without ‘instructions and prescriptions,’ a thinking person. At the end of the text, it concerns the state and expresses the desired principle of the state’s relationship to the citizen. The concept of human dignity concerning self-awareness is the essence and public consciousness is the goal of enlightenment as a political vision of Kant. As the main conclusion from Kant’s article, the following can be distinguished: Kant set a high bar for the European part of humanity – the task of living relying on the conclusions and paths of his reason[A5].
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[A1]repetition
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[A2]more than 35 words in a sentence
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[A3]unclear
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[A4] [A4] [A4]very wordy sentence, much more than 35 words
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[A5]lots of grammarpunctuation mistakes were corrected, but proofread carefully once more
Work Cited
Kant, Immanuel. “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?” AUB, 1784, 2020. Web.
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