The use of the word "counter- Enlightenment” has become increasingly common in scientific and journalistic writing. The word was almost certainly invented by the late Sir Isaiah Berlin, and thanks to his enormous prestige and influence continues it acquired its present knowledge. In the opinion of Berlin, two of the most important sources of the Counter- Enlightenment are supposed J.G. Hamann and J.G. Herder. But as I show , Berlin's many accounts of their thinking is deeply flawed and not reflect the thinking of Herder and Hamann, but rather the end of the twentieth century German historians nineteenth and early , who wanted to legitimize their own anti-democratic and therefore anti- Enlightenment ideology through the construction of a false …show more content…
Instututionalizing the confidence in power of reason is an out standing achivement of enlightenment. What is enlightenment? Immanuel Kant was also a prominent figure in the age of enlightenment. In 1786 he wrote a famous article ‘what is enlightenment?’ in the German journal. In this article he, discuss the concept of enlightenment and he cut off all the previous definitions of enlightenment. According to Kant, “Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another” Basically Kant wants to say that individual have a capacity to use its own reason and understanding to know the things rather then the guidance of the others. He belive that the obstacles or hinderences in the way of individuals went beyond self imposed obstacles. Freedom is the essncial part of