Enlightened Chains, pg. 1
It is helpful, when exploring the effect of the Enlightenment, to begin by understanding what is meant by “Enlightenment”. Technically, it means nothing more than “the act of bringing light”. Since no one expends much effort to bring light into an area that is already well-lit, it also implies a pre-existing state of darkness.
Kant sees this as a process of leaving “immaturity” behind. Maturation, or Enlightenment, becomes a process of leaving behind reliance upon the thinking of others. To some extent, this type of maturation is a natural process that occurs as a person ages. However, Kant also sees a tendency for men to will themselves back into that immature state. Rather than boldly seeking the use of their own faculties of reason and logic, they retreat into the world of shadow created by pre-conceived notions.
Kant’s “lifelong immaturity” is directly analogous to Rousseau’s cry of man being “enslaved” or living “in chains”. Rather than darkness or immaturity, Rousseau sees mankind as slipping into “an age of the age of barbarism of the first ages”. The basic premise, however, is that Enlightenment can somehow lead mankind into a better existence. The parallelism between the two men bears developing.
Rousseau lays the blame at “some nondescript scientific jargon” that “usurped the name of knowledge and posed a nearly invincible obstacle to its return.” Kant goes into greater detail. “If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at
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Kant sees this as a process of leaving “immaturity” behind. Maturation, or Enlightenment, becomes a process of leaving behind reliance upon the thinking of others. To some extent, this type of maturation is a natural process that occurs as a person ages. However, Kant also sees a tendency for men to will themselves back into that immature state. Rather than boldly seeking the use of their own faculties of reason and logic, they retreat into the world of shadow created by pre-conceived notions.
Kant’s “lifelong immaturity” is directly analogous to Rousseau’s cry of man being “enslaved” or living “in chains”. Rather than darkness or immaturity, Rousseau sees mankind as slipping into “an age of the age of barbarism of the first ages”. The basic premise, however, is that Enlightenment can somehow lead mankind into a better existence. The parallelism between the two men bears developing.
Rousseau lays the blame at “some nondescript scientific jargon” that “usurped the name of knowledge and posed a nearly invincible obstacle to its return.” Kant goes into greater detail. “If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at
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