Hello people!
A following sentence "have courage to use your own understanding" is critical and provokes reader to react! This is a motto of enlightenment and words of famous German philosopher Immanuel Kant. He wrote his short text "An answer to the question: What is enlightenment?" on 1784, so far in XVIII century - but the subject that he discus there is very alive today and still in progress.
Immanuel Kant source
INFLUENCE OF CATHOLIC CHURCH
Middle age was named dark age as well, because Catholic church had her own doctrine and any kind of digression would be claimed as heretical or contrary to morality. That is way Giordano Bruno was burned alive at the stake - just one of many who tried to think differently or study science, universe.That is how big power of Catholic church was for centuries, they had a list of prohibited books (index librorum prohibitorum) which any Catholic was not supposed to read. After that dark period Catholic church faces a big crises with protestant reformation and loses complete power.
ENLIGHTENMENT
A sunrise comes with early modern period (New age) in search for human mind freedom. The idea of enlightenment was to spread our point of view, but much more to make us think in our own way, to dare to know and meet something new, to face science and new discoveries. Kant was one of first who spoke about that and named it as a man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. A human society is different of animals community just because of one thing - human has power of thinking, understanding, he has intellect. So if nature in one moment of our life, has set us free from guidance of other, why than some of us stay gladly immature and let others easily establish themselves as their guardians? Because of laziness and cowardice?
It is so easy to be immature. If I have a book that has understanding for me, a pastor who has a conscience for me, a doctor who judges my diet for me, and so forth, surely I do not need to trouble myself. I have no need to think, if only I can pay others will take over the tedious business for me.
This is just an easy example. A main point is that this immaturity leads to differentiation between those who rule and those who are ruled. It leads to abusing own position, exploitation of the masses, satisfying they own greed. About those rulers:
After they have first made their domestic animals stupid and carefully prevented these placid creatures from daring to take even one step out of the leading strings of the cart to which they are tethered, they show them the danger that threatens them if they attempt to proceed on their own. Now this danger is not so great, for by falling a few times they would indeed finally learn to walk; but an example of this sort makes them timid and usually frightens them away from all further attempts.
This reminds of situation in the world today, but lets try to find an solution for successful society.
Nothing is required for this enlightenment, however, except freedom; and the freedom in question is the least harmful of all, namely, the freedom to use reason publicly in all matters. But on all sides I hear: “Do not argue!” The officer says, “Do not argue, drill!” The tax man says, “Do not argue, pay!” The pastor says, “Do not argue, believe!”
The best way for one society to survive is that everyone does his job properly and that is a private use of reason. The other one is to use reason publicly, where we can express our thoughts and even say - i think there is a better way to do my job, than this one that my superior told me to do. There should be no fear from anybody! The class distinctions always existed and here Kant doesn't want to erase them, he just wants to say that every human has chance to develop him self publicly and make his own opinion.
Make yourself think at first, make yourself learn and think about what are you thinking. After that comes moral, activity and at the end everything else! Go ahead, not in reverse.
Hope you liked reading my post. Feel free to comment, upvote or follow. :)
Pozdrav.
