Immanuel Kant On The Importance Of Enlightenment

Sapere aude! The motto of enlightenment which means ‘Have courage to use your own understanding!’ (Kant, 1996). During the year of 1700s, human were said to be immature as they relied too much on other rather than having a courage to have determination and resolution in life. Before that, enlightenment is defined by Immanuel Kant as “…mankind’s exit from its self-incurred immaturity”. (Kant, 1996). In which, he discussed further that immaturity of the human is when they are unable to practice their understanding in the short of guidance from others. As a consequence, enlightenment comes to counter the immaturity occurs among them. However, as its go beyond, Kant proposed that public; the people of nation will be enlighten without any doubt

The enlightenment “… previously seen as antithetical to the secularism and rationalism once defining the Enlightenment have been reframed as its underside…” (Bloch, 2006). As what Kant answered when he was asked about the restriction that might hinder enlightenment, “…the public use of reason must at all times be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among men…” He wants the people to have freedom in every aspect of life they gone through. “…religion plays a central and sometimes ideological role in the whole project of the Enlightenment and therefore it has generally been considered as a movement towards the emancipation of human thought from religion.” (Recber, 2012). However, what would be happening if human live in this world without any rules, regulations and religions? Until it comes to the phase where the people wants the religion to be separate with the way of life completely- secularism. “Secularism is defined as a principle that involves two basic propositions… the strict separation of the state from religious institutions. The second is that the people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law.” (National Secular Society website, 2014) From the definition of secularism, it can be seen clearly that the foundation of secularism is the separation of religion and nation. It also promotes the freedoms of thought and speech. People can choose whatever they like

In which the people know their life purpose and way to enrich it. They know the things they should do in order to get out from immaturity or in a way to enlighten their life. When human are determined that there is a way to be free from their comfort zone, thus they must find the right ways on how to go through the life without any circumstances and at the same time they knows that they are not passing the limitation that supposedly being followed. It is not like about the freedom that Kant proposed through the entire enlightenment; freedom in everything that could be done in order to be free from immaturity. People need to enlighten their world and life in order to be a better individual and to serve a better world. However, human of nation should never go overboard while practicing the life they should be. Firstly, freedom should always be limited. It is because of the basic nature of life; moderation or in other words ones put a standard or limitation on the way of life that they choose to be. It does not mean to limit the success or to be timid and not brave enough to face the public and life. The restriction and limitation that one’s know is actually to give a better scope in living up this life and to know the customary practice that one’s should follow without any doubt. Thus, there comes the religion as the guidance to help people to know the limitation and