The Influence Of Immanuel Kant On The Enlightenment

Immanuel Kant on the Enlightenment The Enlightenment took place during the seventh and eighteenth century in Europe. It was an intellectual revolution that encouraged people to step away from an ancient way of thinking. It first began in Paris but quickly spread over much of Europe. Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who believed in a “Dare to Know” principle. He argued that people should learn things on their own and think for themselves. Even though Kant believed in thinking for oneself, he thought that men should never upset the public order. Kant defined enlightenment as a break away from nonage, as only being possible through intellectual freedom, and as a right of mankind. Kant thought of enlightenment as a way to break away from nonage. According to Kant, “Nonage is the inability to use one’s own understanding without another’s guidance”. It is the lack of motivation to reason for
He argued that people owed it to themselves to cultivate their minds. “And to give up enlightenment all together, either for oneself or for one’s descendants is to violate and to trample, upon the sacred rights of man”. Here Kant explains that giving up enlightenment is like committing a crime against mankind. He urged the sovereigns of countries to let their subjects think freely. Most of the times, Kant venerated the sovereign of his time Frederick the Great of Prussia for his enlighten way of thinking and his tolerance for philosophes. Immanuel Kant thought of enlightenment as way of maturity, as freedom and a right of mankind. He believed that enlightenment could improve human life. Even though he did not speak against the government in Prussia, his idea of’ Dare to Know” was still useful because it urged people to find enlightenment and better themselves. People should not always believe what they are told ;they should investigate for themselves first. Kant was indeed a key figure in the enlightenment