Immanuel Kants Age Of Enlightenment - 746 Words

Immanuel Kant remains to this day as one of the most influential philosophes in the history of Western philosophy. In his essay writing â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† he defines enlightenment as â€Å"man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage†[1]. In order to understand Kant’s line of thinking we must understand what he meant by â€Å"tutelage†. He describes tutelage or immaturity or incompetence - â€Å"the inability to use one’s understanding without direction from another†[1]. According to Kant, immaturity is self-imposed due to laziness and cowardice where therefor does not allow independent thinking and reason for oneself but instead continues to allow others to dictate, think and understand for them. In his essay he asks â€Å"Do we presently live in†¦show more content†¦He used the example of a military officer or soldier. The point he is making is that it would be disruptive or dangerous even if a soldier refus ed to follow a command given to them by his superior. He may question the value or appropriateness of the orders they receive, but in their functions as military officers it is their duty to obey. Once away from his post he should be free to voice his concerns to the public, where his views would be open to debate. In turn, possible beneficial solutions and improvements to the system could be enacted by society as a whole. This means that he will follow the commands as his private use of reasoning and then will speak out his complaints as his public use of reasoning. Kant points out that one cannot achieve enlightenment without following the laws of the society, he has to obey the laws but at the same time he should have the courage to criticize what he thinks is wrong or should be changed as his. To him any society that does not obey the laws cannot achieve enlightenment. I think one of the strengths in Kant’s argument is that he draws a clear distinction between duty and preference. It makes clear that morality is doing ones duty and not just following feelings. We cannot assume what is good for us is good forShow MoreRelatedKant : The Father Of Enlightenment1071 Words   |  5 PagesStanford Marquis Essay 2 Kant: The Father of Enlightenment The 18th Century is referred to as the Age of Reason or Enlightenment as it was during this period that reason and individualism was advocated as a means of power. Science and reason were revolutionizing society by challenging the facts deeply rooted in tradition. This new rational way of thinking used logic to arrive at conclusions. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, was one of the primary figures of this era that cultivated reason andRead MoreEssay on Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804)1093 Words   |  5 PagesImmanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) Author of Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785). 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