HIST1094 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Immanuel Kant, Maximilien Robespierre
Document Summary
Enlightenment is man"s emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one"s own understanding without another"s guidance. : essential enlightenment is thinking for yourself. If i have a book that thinks for me, a pastor who acts as my conscience, a physician who prescribes my diet, and so on--then i have no need to exert myself. I have no need to think, if only i can pay; others will take care of that disagreeable business for me. After being in the nonage for so long, it is hard to work yourself out of it. The enlightenment requires nothing but freedom-->freedom to make public use of one"s reason in all matters: everyone is saying do this and that and dont ask questions, but the enlgihtenment is about asking why are we doing this? . I reply: the public use of one"s reason must be free at all times, and this alone can bring enlightenment to mankind.
