Kants Enlightenment Philosophy - Essay Example

Kant’s Enlightenment Philosophy Philosophers have over the years put forward different theories and concepts onethics, morals, decision making, and life in general. They have done this to try and understand how different human beings view life differently resulting in the different choices that they make. For instance, the works of Plato an ancient Greek philosopher are still being used in the field of philosophy and ethics. One such scholar is Emanuel Kant a philosopher who put forward various theories and concepts in philosophy. One of the concepts that he came up with was his definition of enlightenment and how it is applied in life. He did this in one of his great works titled “An Answer to the Question: ‘What is Enlightenment?’” which was published in the l870s. This era is referred to as the enlightenment era since it was the period in which traditional ethics were being replaced by individualism and reason This paper will focus on the enlightenment philosophy of Emanuel Kant and how it has been applied in various works. Before doing this it is crucial to understand Emanuel Kant’s philosophy on enlightenment thus the paper will carefully examine the philosophy concepts put across by Emanuel Kant on enlightenment. It will then specifically explore on individual identity and free will specifically how they are related with enlightenment. This will be done by using characters in the class material Voltaire’s Candide; Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?”. By using characters in the material, the paper will stipulate how identity and free will impact the thinking, decision making, and actions of different people by showing how they negatively or positively impact the thinking of characters in the above class material. Kant’s Enlightenment Philosophy Introduction The enlightenment period is considered to have begun in the mid 17th century to the 18th century. The major characteristic of this period was the revolutions in politics, society, philosophy and science. This is where a different approach from that of the medieval times was taken. During this time, philosophies considered to have paved way to the modern western world were put forward. For instance, the French revolution is attributed from enlightenment philosophies and concepts that stressed for the change in social orders and political set ups that were traditional which oppressed the ordinary French citizen. According to Emanuel Kant, Enlightenment is the ability of a person to emerge from a nonage that is imposed by oneself (Kant). The inability of someone to use their own thinking or understanding without influence form others is referred to as nonage. It is considered to be imposed by ourselves since it results from the lack of courage and indecision to use ones reasoning. For instance, in the past countrymen always followed orders and laws set by the monarch despite the fact that these laws and orders were oppressing to the citizens. They refused to reject or act out due to various reasons one of them being the lack of courage to speak out on the wrongs they suffered from such monarchies. Kant stipulated that the reason behind the large number of people living as minors in the society is cowardice and laziness (Kant). By this he meant that people lacked enlightenment since they felt it was more comfortable to live as minors than to stand up and fight for their rights. Kant stipulated that nonage is very dangerous since people get accustomed to it over the years resulting in it being instilled as a way of life hence the difficulty that is presented when one tries to come out of nonage or being enlightened. Emanuel Kant argued that during his time people had not yet reached the enlightened error but were simply in the enlightenment age. This meant that enlightenment was a process that would take a long time since nonage was something that was instilled so deeply in people’s minds that it had become a way of life. He pointed out religion as the most harmful and dangerous form of nonage. According to Emanuel Kant, this was so since people often use values and morals that have been instilled by their religious leaders. For instance, many people consider something right or wrong just because their religion and their leaders stipulate so without even determining for themselves whether something is right or wrong. In all cases Kant stipulated that enlightenment greatly depended on two factors. These factors were individual identity and free will. The negative and positive effects of this philosophy can be examined by establishing the impact they had on the characters in Voltaire’s Candide; Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?” Negative and Positive Effects of Personal Identity and Free Will Free will is considered to be the ability of a person to reach a decision without the influence of external factors. These factors are categorized into three which are social constraints like punishment, metaphysical constraints like logic and finally, physical constrains such as imprisonment. Thus free will is the ability of a human being to act as a result of their own decisions and not because they have been directed so in one way or the other. On the other hand personal identity knows who one is and the position they hold socially. This goes further to accepting the position in which they are in. The material by Voltaire has enabled us to show how the two portray themselves through two different characters. By examining the effects free will and personal identity have on Candide and other characters in Voltaire’s material we are able to see the philosophical theories of enlightenment. This is instrumental since it will help in establishing the ideological difference Voltaire had from that of Emanuel Kant. One might argue that they had the same ideologies in philosophy. However, in my opinion, despite their works being compatible in terms of their approach on ideologies Voltaire tends to dwell on optimism while Kant focuses on enlightenment. Though similar the two are different as it comes out Candide and Martin in his material. Candide is very optimistic about life despite the shortcomings that it presents him. This is clearly shown where martin tells Candide of all the evils in the world and how life is not pleasant. Free will is displayed in Candide where he is sure that he is in charge of his destiny and the fact that life brings forward negative things. For instance, when martin tries to convince Candide that the world is unfair hence full of disappointments, Candide tries to show him that there are still good things in life here, “however, some things are good," said Candide.” (Voltaire 72). In this case, Martin and Candide clearly sow the difference between someone who is in enlightenment and one who is not. Martin is in a state where he has accepted life as it is by citing that evil and bad things happen in life and there is nothing that he can do to make his life better. On the other hand, Candide shows optimism despite the tragedies that happen throughout his journey. The fact that there is a possibility of him being united with the love of his life Cunegonde makes him to have the inner strength to continue with his journey. This can be related to Emanuel Kant’s approach to enlightenment where he stipulates that many people are usually comfortable with the miserable life they live since deep inside their minds they have accepted that type of life viewing it as just life and they cannot do anything about it. Candide illustrates a thinking that is full of free will since he is very optimistic about life. Free will results in positive impact as it is revealed in the novel. For instance, this is portrayed very well in Pangaloss especially where he says “for when man was put into the Garden of Eden, it was with an intention to dress it and this proves that man was not born to be idle.” (Voltaire 97). By this he tries to show Candide and Martin that life is not like a play that one sits idle and watches as it goes on. It is ones effort that determines whether their life is good or bad where he compares life with the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were asked to look after it. Hence, in the same way human beings should do everything to ensure that their life is good just like looking after the Garden of Eden. The negative effect of individual identity clearly shows itself in the character Martin. This is because Martin has lost taste in life due to the bad things that happen to him and other people thus accepting life as it is. For instance he tells pangaloss that “Work then without disputing it is the only way to render life supportable.” (Voltaire 97). By this he implies that one should go about his duties without complaining regardless of the condition whether bad or good. He even goes further to hint that it is the only way to live and enjoy life because there is nothing one can do to change it. Free will also results in someone making decisions that go against their masters but end up making their lives better. For instance, the love between Candide and Cunegonde is one that Candide master had disallowed and it ends up making Candide to go through a lot in life. However, from the beginning of the book until it concludes Candide goes on achieving more than what he would achieve while living in its master’s castle. This shows ho free will is form of enlightenment leads someone to achieving more than they thought they could before. Conclusion Enlightenment is one of the philosophies that have resulted in the advancement in civilization. When one considers the book Candide by Voltaire, it is evident that enlightenment plays a crucial role when it comes to someone effecting change in their life. However, various scholars have argued that Voltaire’s work puts forward quite different ideologies than those of Emanuel Kant. This is where it is viewed that Voltaire emphasizes on optimism and not enlightenment. However, when one examines both Voltaire and Kant’s approach then it is obvious that both optimism and enlightenment needs the viewing of issues in an open mind. Both of them also require one to go out of their way to achieve something great as in the case of Candide. One fact however that is paramount is the essence of free will to motivate change is crucial in both ideologies since it is a big influencer. Works Cited Kant Emanuel. What is Enlightenment? 1784 Retrieved From: http://philosophy.eserver.org/kant/what-is-enlightenment.txt Voltaire, Gita May. Candide. Montana: Kessinger, 2004. Print. Read More