POL101Y1 Chapter 12: Week 1 Reading_ Immanuel Kant, What is Enlightenment_
Document Summary
An answer to the question: what is enlightenment? . Enlightenment: human being"s emergence form self-incurred minority. Minority: inability to make use of one"s understanding without direction form another. Self incurred when cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Being a minority is comfortable, as it is almost nature to him. Seldom allowed to make the attempt to make use of own understanding. Formulas, mechanical instruments of rational use, natural instruments of a rational use all perpetuate an everlasting minority. Enlightenment is more possible when one is enjoying freedom (especially freedom to use reason in all matters) Freedom is not encouraged by society: the tax official says not to argue but just pay, the clergyman says not to argue but believe. Public use of one"s reason must always be free, it alone can bring about enlightenment in humans.
