INTRODUCTION

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is a giant in the history of modern
philosophy. Several twentieth-century philosophical movements have their origins in Kantian
thought, and many issues raised by Kant still retain their importance. One such movement was
Kant's study on enlightenment, where he defined enlightenment as well as analysed the
obstacles and ways to overcome those obstacles present in the path of gaining enlightenment.

WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT?

According to Immanuel Kant, enlightenment was man’s release from “self-incurred tutelage.”
Enlightenment was the process by which the public could rid themselves of intellectual bondage
after centuries of slumbering. It could help people in ridding themselves of the self-imposed
immaturity which is not other than the the incapacity to use one's intelligence
without the guidance of another. Such immaturity is self-caused if it is not caused by lack of
intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one's intelligence without being
guided by another.
After providing a careful analysis of the causes why tutelage occurred, he proposes the
requirements for enlightenment. He wanted the public to think freely, act judiciously and be
“treated in accordance with their dignity.

WHY PEOPLE CHOSE TO REMAIN UNENLIGHTENED?

Kant says that tutelage occurred because of many reasons. The first was laziness. Men thought
it cumbersome to reason and enlarge their knowledge. Simple obedience was less onerous to
their simple minds. Kant explains that the second reason, cowardice, supplemented their
laziness.Through laziness and cowardice a large part of mankind, even after nature has freed
them from alien guidance, gladly remain immature. The general public feared to use their
reason because they were not willing to venture into uncharted waters. They were afraid to have
a few falls in the process of learning how to walk. The third reason he argued, was the select
few who were smarter put themselves on top by depriving the general public of knowledge and
education. Thus, the so-called elites complemented the cowardice and fear of the general public
by suppressing them and leading them back to the “harness of the cart to which they were
tethered”. They did this by showing the goodness of the present society they were in, and
magnifying the unseen and ghastly dangers that existed in uncharted venues of reason.
The final reason Kant gives for tutelage is complacency and blind obedience. The people were
smug in their shackles of centuries old serfdom. Like “domestic cattle” they obeyed without
bothering to challenge norms or people to alleviate their suffering. After having made their
domestic animals dumb and having carefully prevented these quiet creatures from daring to
take any step beyond the lead-strings to which they have fastened them, these guardians then
add on to their fear which threatens them, should they attempt to walk alone. After discussing
the reasons why tutelage occurred, Kant presents the requirements for enlightenment.
Through revolution, the abandonment of personal despotism may be engendered and the end
of profit-seeking and domineering oppression may occur, but never a true reform of the state of
mind. Instead, new prejudices, just like the old ones, will serve as the guiding reins of the great,
unthinking mass.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE REASON

Kant applies to two different usages of reason that constitute true enlightenment; private usage
and public usage. As Kant points out, "By the public use of one's reason, I understand the use
which a person makes of it as a scholar before reading to the public. Private use I call that
which one may make of it in a particular civil post of office which is entrusted to him." Thus,
Public use of reason is doing something in the public sphere because we choose to improve our
private function whereas private use reason is one in which an individual uses his power to
reason while performing the duties assigned to him. Although Kant draws a parallel between
there's two cisage of reason, he points out the private usage of reason should be subjected to
limitatons, while the public usage of reason should be kept free, because," it alone can bring
about enlightenment among men". If someone may find his job or function disagreeable, the
task must be completed for society to flow consistently. He may, however, use public reasoning
in order to complain about the function in the public sphere. Quoting a fellow German
philosopher of Kant, Moses Mendelssohn, who reframed the distinction precisely along these
lines for the Wednesday Society: the “private use” of reason was “vocational” while the “public
use” was “extra-vocational.” In his essay Kant argues that the role of the state and church must
be such that it allows the individual to practice their public reason. Only when the individual is
allowed to practice his public reason will society as a whole progress towards enlightenment.

According to Kant, in order to become enlightened, it is difficult for the isolated individual to work
himself out of the immaturity which has become almost second nature for him. He has even
become fond of it and for the time being is incapable of employing his own intelligence, as he
has never been allowed to make the attempt. Statues & formulas, these mechanical tools of a
serviceable use or rather misuse of his natural faculties are the ankle-chain of a continuous
immaturity. Whoever threw it off would make an uncertain jump over the smallest trench
because he is not accustomed to such free movement.

Therefore, there are only a few who have pursued a firm path and have succeeded in escaping
from immaturity by their own cultivation of the mind. But it is more nearly possible for a public to
enlighten itself: this is even inescapable, if only the public is given its freedom. He believes that
freedom to express oneself honestly is paramount for enlightenment. This is important because
when a man is allowed to freely express his thoughts and opinions without penalization, he will
offer ideas without fear and restriction. Kant is actually promoting freedom of speech and the
tolerance of diverse viewpoints. But he also warns that the expression of one’s opinions must
not prevent him from discharging his duties to the public.
Kant’s second point is the leaders must be enlightened first for the public to be enlightened.
Until the monarch is enlightened, he will not grant his subjects the necessary freedom to think
without considering opposing viewpoints as an act of insubordination. He makes a bold
statement about monarchism when he says “his law giving authority rests on his uniting the
general public will in his own”. He is actually saying the monarch’s commands and wishes
should be a representation of the people and their interests. The "assumed supritendence" over
the greater portion of mankind which survives through the dependency on the public to maintain
these positions. He emphasizes that a republican government should comply with the wishes of
its citizens and not force them into blind and foolish obedience. He strongly expresses the need
for a government that does not intimidate its citizens, but rather encourages them towards
enlightenment because then only will the relationship between the guardians and ones under
guardianship be justified.

CRITICISM
Kant's theories in general have often been criticized as too vague to be practical and useful. All
human beings live in a certain time period & place. It is often not possible to separate rationality
from our personality, so often we ponder over some issues that others are facing in an abstract
way but for anything, the starting point should be our own situation. It has often been assumed
by many philosophers that we can be rational & put our personalities aside to come up with the
principles that apply to all, but this is not true. Philosophers like Kant assumed this because
most enlightenment thinkers were from the same period & place i.e. Europe, this led to think
that their answers were rational but they were not, they also reflected the culture that these
ideas originated in. Critics also argue that Kant's view of Enlightenment leaves out or actively
argues against certain ideas that are of critical importance today. These include, the ability to
speak one's own mind in the private spheres, the ability to call out employers who make use of
unsafe workplace conditions, and the ability to have professional writers whose private & public
activity overlap.

CONCLUSION

Though Kant's theory has resulted in criticism & arguments from critics, however whatever one
thinks about this, one thing that cannot be ignored is its historical significance. So many years
have passed yet, Kant's theories continue to influence us and his work of enlightenment is also
very important as it helps us understand what enlightenment & freedom is all about. His theories
has widely contributed to the development of the concepts of knowledge, education and
enlightenment. Kant valued the essential ideals of the enlightenment and viewed the French
Revolution, which put these ideals into law, as the triumph of liberty over despotism. In an
essay, he contended that the enlightenment marked a new way of thinking and eloquently
affirmed the Enlightenment's confidence in and commitment to reason.