"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The motto of enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding!
Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why such a large proportion of men, even when nature has long emancipated them from alien guidance (naturaliter maiorennes), nevertheless gladly remain immature for life. For the same reasons, it is all too easy for others to set themselves up as their guardians. It is so convenient to be immature! If I have a book to have understanding in place of me, a spiritual adviser to have a conscience for me, a doctor to judge my diet for me, and so on, I need not make any efforts at all. I need not think, so long as I can pay; others will soon enough take the tiresome job over for me. The guardians who have kindly taken upon themselves the work of supervision will soon see to it that by far the largest part of mankind (including the entire fair sex) should consider the step forward to maturity not only as difficult but also as highly dangerous. Having first infatuated their domesticated animals, and carefully prevented the docile creatures from daring to take a single step without the leading-strings to which they are tied, they next show them the danger which threatens them if they try to walk unaided. Now this danger is not in fact so very great, for they would certainly learn to walk ventually after a few falls. But an example of this kind is intimidating, and usually frightens them off from further attempts. (...)
James Mitchell
Thus it is difficult for each separate individual to work his way out of the immaturity which has become almost second nature to him. He has even grown fond of it and is really incapable for the time being of using his own understanding, because he was never allowed to make the attempt. Dogmas and formulas, those mechanical instruments for rational use (or rather misuse) of his natural endowments, are the ball and chain of his permanent immaturity. And if anyone did throw them off, he would still be uncertain about jumping over even the narrowest of trenches, for he would be unaccustomed to free movement of this kind. Thus only a few, by cultivating their own minds, have succeeded in freeing themselves from immaturity and in continuing boldly on their way. There is more chance of an entire public enlightening itself. This is indeed almost inevitable, if only the public concerned is left in freedom. For there will always be a few who think for themselves, even among those appointed as guardians of the common mass. Such guardians, once they have themselves thrown off the yoke of immaturity, will disseminate the spirit of rational respect for personal value and for the duty of all men to think for themselves. The remarkable thing about this is that if the public, which was previously put under this yoke by the guardians, is suitably stirred up by some of the latter who are incapable of enlightenment, it may subsequently compel the guardians themselves to remain under the yoke. For it is very harmful to propagate prejudices, because they finally avenge themselves on the very people who first encouraged them (or whose predecessors did so). Thus a public can only achieve enlightenment slowly. A revolution may well put an end to autocratic despotism and to rapacious or power-seeking oppression, but it will never produce a true reform in ways of thinking. Instead, new prejudices, like the ones they replaced, will serve as a leash to control the great unthinking mass.
Immanuel Kant: An Answer to the Question: "What is Enlightenment?" Konigsberg, Prussia, 30th September, 1784
Justin Nguyen
>stop being guided! >make your own truth!
Is Kant a post-modernist? What a huge fucking fag
Liam Wright
...
Jordan Morris
>u can do nething you want! be urself, ur the best! praise jesus
This essay is one of the worst things I've ever read, it's a shitpost from your retarded 12 year old cousin except written in that ridiculous 18th C German style.
Joshua Walker
>Kant >post-modernist
Are you retarded?
Your ignorance towards history and the significance of the European Enlightenment pretty much speaks for itself.
Noah Fisher
Using your own head is hard work, right? Better have someone tell me what to think. Fucking idiot.
Jose James
Only if it's environmental can they be "fixed" of their ignorance and sloth. Most kids were severely neglected and abused; even verbal abuse can kill a child's spirit to feel they can be useful members of society, so they have no hope. And it's easier for cowards to terrorize others than face their own fears. And the more people ignore other people--staring at their cell-phones--the more ignorant and brain-damaged they become because they "fail" to understand through observation. I can understand, but still the ignorant masses are so disgusting it's depressing.
William Jackson
I think in front of the background of the rise of what social scientific commentary likes to call the "post-factual", Kant's thoughts might not be the most practical lense anymore.
Luis Moore
>the rise of what social scientific commentary likes to call the "post-factual"
What did they mean by this? Media agencies just started to learn that they can lie?
