Quick Summary: In summary, Immanuel Kant's concept of enlightenment is about using one's own reason and thinking independently, rather than relying on others to think for us. It involves questioning authority, challenging traditional beliefs, and breaking free from ignorance and superstition. Kant encourages individuals to have the courage to think for themselves and promotes the importance of public use of reason and diminishing the use of private use of reason. The goal of enlightenment is to diminish ignorance, correct errors, and promote freedom of thought and expression.
Immanuel Kant's concept of enlightenment is a social process which diminishes ignorance and corrects errors that is also thinking for oneself in general. Have courage to use your own reason! Is the motto he uses. In simple words, Kant believed that enlightenment is the state of using one's own reason and thinking independently, rather than relying on others to think for us.
According to Kant, immaturity refers to the inability or unwillingness to think for oneself and make independent judgments. He argued that many people prefer to remain immature because they find comfort in following established norms and authorities, rather than taking responsibility for their own beliefs and actions which is what he calls as private use of reason. In simple words, private use of reason is when a person borrows their thinking from someone else or is following someone else’s command, not free to think for themselves. Contrary to popular understanding, private use of reason is not the usage of reason in a private, restricted space, rather it is relying on someone else’s thoughts and commands to carry out functions in your personal life. For example: an army lieutenant who is commanding a large force in the open may look like he’s using public use of reason (explained in next paragraph) but in reality is following the orders of his superior.
Kant emphasised the importance of reason in enlightenment. He encouraged individuals to think critically, question authority, and challenge traditional beliefs and customs. He believed that through the use of reason, individuals could break free from the shackles of ignorance and superstition which is what he also calls the public use of reason. Contrary to popular understanding, public use of reason is not the use of intellect in a free, open space but use of intellect and reason that is not interfered with by anyone else. For example: a scholar discussing their own ideas or expounding them even in a small setting is a prime example of public use of reason because the scholar’s ideas are original and they are not borrowed from anyone else.
In essence, Kant's concept of enlightenment can be summed up as the process of individuals thinking for themselves, using reason to challenge existing norms and authorities, and advocating for freedom of thought and expression, which is central to the concept of any political theory.
Via: Lapham's Quarterly
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