Immanuel Kant On Public Use Of Reason

Public use of reason has become a cornerstone of German thought with philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, arguing that reason is a public matter that should be done for the betterment of society, but others such as Moses Mendelssohn believe the key to achieving an individual’s felicity is through their own private use of reason. Both agree reason is absolutely necessary in the pursuit of enlightenment, but each hold reason in their own unique regards as to how it should be used to achieve enlightenment.
Immanuel Kant’s argument that public reason is supreme stems from his ideas on how to achieve enlightenment. Kant believes man is stuck in what he calls, “ self-imposed nonage,” (“What Is”) nonage being an individual’s dependence on another
Freedom plays an important role in enlightenment, as the public use of reason is only possible through freedom. Kant sees that there are many restrictions on freedom and their effects on enlightenment vary, but he holds, that regardless of these, the preservation of man’s right to public reasoning is of the utmost importance. Man must not be hindered in its ability to debate and be critical of society because it is only through this that man can progress toward enlightenment. According to Kant, public discussion allows for men to use their rational minds in the formation of new ideas and the debate of communal matters. It is through enlightened debate that man can construct the rational laws with which it chooses to live by. Also, Kant finds it easier to bring enlightenment to society rather than a single individual. He is a firm believer that thought requires the effort of the community because it allows for the pooling of intellectual resources. And since man is a member of society, it is only right that he comes together to discuss communally. Man must thrust the role of scholar upon himself and argue such that he addresses the public, and there shall be no such constraints limiting the extent that he does this. As stated before, it is freedom that allows for public use of reason, which is why
He believe public debate is a great gift that should not be sacrificed, but whatever decisions or conclusions that are a product of it should not be directly implemented into society. Kant writes, “Argue as much as you like, and about what you like, but obey!” (“What Is”) meaning the people are free to debate and argue whatever they choose but all final decisions are to be made by a single governing leader. According to Kant, it is necessary that this individual is enlightened, and that he listens to his people and the ideas they produce in their public debate. A smart leader will take heed to what his people want, but it is up to him to decide what is best for the people. This presents what Kant describes as a somewhat paradoxical and surprising course of events in which a population given a large amount of freedom appears to take advantage of this intellectual space, but in actuality it is barring the advancement of thought. While on the other hand, a population with a lesser degree of freedom has room to allow their craving for enlightenment to flourish. The optimal relationship between a ruler and his enlightened subjects is one that creates a balance of power and free discussion in the society. It is imperative this relationship is a reflection as the one above described by Kant because it is through this that public reason