assignment on what is enlightenment ? by immanuel kant
shivani sanghai
WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT ?
KANT HAS DEFINED ENLIGHTENMENT TO BE SIMPLY A MAN'S EMERGENCE FROM HIS SELF- IMPOSED IMMATURITY. HIS MATURINTY IS BASICALLY HIS INABILITY TO USE HIS OWN UNDERSTANDING WITHOUT GUIDANCE FROM ANOTHER PERSON . THIS IMMATURITY IS SELF- IMPOSED AS IT IS NOT THAT HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND, IT IS JUST DUE TO LACK OF RESOLVE AND COURAGE IN HIM THAT HE CANNOT USE HIS ABILITY OF UNDERSTANDING.
HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE MADE AN EFFORT TO FREE THEMSELVES OUT OF THIS IMMATURITY BY CULTIVATING THEIR MINDS WHILE THE OTHERS WHO ARE DECIDED TO REMAIN IMMATURE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE ARE DOING THIS DUE TO LAZINESS AND COWARDNESS OR PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO USED TO THEIR CURRENT STATE THAT THEY HAVE ACTUALLY LOST THEIR ABILITY TO USE THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS OR IT MAY BE BECAUSE THEIR GUARDIANS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO ACCEPT THIS DIFFICULTY AND HAVE POTRAYED IT AS A DANGER AND A THREAT TO THEM TO WALK ALL ALONE.
THEREFORE ONE NEEDS TO UNDERSATND THE SOLUTION TO THIS ENLIGHTENMENT IS FREEDOM – THE FREEDOM TO USE REASON PUBLICLY IN ALL MATTERS. HOWEVER THIS FREEDOM CAN ALSO HAVE RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON THEM ACCORDING TO CONDITIONS . FOR EG. PUBLIC USE OF ONE'S REASON MUST ALWAYS BE FREE WHILE THE PRIVATE USE MAY BE RESTRICTED WITHOUT HIMDERING ONE'S ENLIGHTENMENT. HOWEVER IN CASE OF PUBLICLY USING ONE'S FREEDOM ONE HAS TO BE AWARE NOT TO HARM THE AFFAIRS FOR WHICH AS A PASSIVE MEMBER HE IS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE. THEREFORE WE CAN SAY THAT EVEN PUBLICLY THERE CAN EXIST RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM WHILE IN SOME CASES IT MIGHT NOT .
LIKE THE EXAMPLE QUOTED BY THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE PRIEST HAVING A PUBLIC USE OF FREEDOM YET HE BEING RESTRICTED BY THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY HE SERVES , WHILE A TEACHER HAS A RIGHT TO PRIVATE FREEDOM AND A CLERIC ON THE OTHER HAND AS A SCHOLAR ENJOYS HIS PUBLIC USE OF FREEDOM THROUGH HIS WRITINGS TO THE PUBLIC THEREFORE USING HIS OWN RATIONAL CAPACITIES AND SPEAKING HIS MIND OUT TO ALL.
HOWEVER IT WOULD BE A CRIME TO BIND ANYONE OR IMPOSE A LAW ON ANOTHER AND NOT LET THE LATTER GROW ITS KNOWLEDGE AND INCREASE ITS SCOPE OF ENLIGHTENMENT. THE SOULTION TO THIS IS THAT ONE MUST INTERFERE WITH THE OTHER ONLY IN TERMS OF CIVIL OR PUBLIC ORDER BUT LET THE LATTER MAKE HIS OWN SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AND HAVE FREEDOM IN RELIGIOUS MATTERS.
EVEN THOUGH MEN ARE NOT ABLE TO PUT THEMSELVES IN THE POSITION TO APPLY THEIR UNDERSTANDING WITHOUT AN EXTERNAL GUIDANCE SPECIALLY TO RELIGIOUS ISSUES , YET THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT MEN HAVE BEEN PROCEEDING FREELY IN THIS DIRECTION AND HAVE STARTED RELEASING THEMSELVES FROM THEIR SELF- IMPOSED IMMATURITY.
INODER TO EXPLAIN HIS POINT OF VIEW ON ENLIGHTENMENT THE AUTHOR HAS USED RELIGIOUS MATTERS AS A FOCUS TO HIS DISCUSSION , BECAUSE ULTIMATELY NOBODY RELATES IT TO ARTS AND SCIENCES AND SECONDLY BECAUSE THAT FORM OF IMMATURITY IS THE MOST PERNICIOUS AND DISGRACEFUL OF ALL.
THUS ONCE NATURE REMOVES THE HARD SHELL AND GIVES ALL AN INCLINATION AND A VOCATION TO FREE THINKING THEN IT STARTS REACTING ON PEOPLE'S MENTALITY AND INFLUENCES THE PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT WHICH CAN NO LONGER TREAT MEN TO BE MACHINES BUT NEED TO GIVE THEM THE SAME LEVEL OF DIGNITY AS THEIRS.