Paul Halsall’s “Emmanuel Kant: What is Enlightenment?, 1784” expounds the meaning of enlightenment to be the freedom from subjugation of the mind. Enlightenment is a process when a man uses his reason to act and not to rely on the instructions of others. Most people, the article mentioned are lazy and afraid to sift information to get the truth. Most men just brush the truths off and believe that they are doing the right thing by obeying their masters or their Lords. It is why only a few thinkers had the courage to break through the dogmatic beliefs of truth and used their reasons to propell the birth of the revolutionary age of Enlightenment.
In the history of Europe, the 18th century was the peak of the era of enlightenment. From the influences of several thinkers from the 14th to 18th century, brilliant minds were able to criticize the rotten system where the gap between the powerful rich and the poor is impossible to bridge. It was the time when brave minds started to question the Divine Right of King that severely oppressed the silent masses. It is the time when people moved to separate the power of the Church and the government.
The teachings of John Locke and many other Philosophers and scientists became the guiding light of the brave young elightened men in taking into action the words that longed for freedom. It is not only the freedom from tyranny and hunger but most especially, the freedom from the dogmatic teachings of the Church and the traditional leaders. Before the Age of Enlightenment, the masses have already accepted their fate to be oppressed by the rulers. They have lived through injustices, poverty, tyranny, and in extreme desolatio. Most of them were already born with the kinds of injustices that they cannot determine which is just and unjust. Thus, the movement for enlightenment have used more of its time to educate the people to be free from the dogmatic culture. As Halsall, P. (1997) mentioned in the article, “After the guardians have first made their domestic cattle dumb and have made sure that these placid creatures will not dare take a single step without the harness of the cart to which they are tethered, the guardians then show them the danger which threatens if they try to go alone.”
The tyrants however did not think that too much oppression will eventually push people to find freedom even if it means their death. This is evident during the French Revolution which was highly influenced by the thinkers of enlightenment at the later part of the 18th century. The revolution was aimed at toppling the tyranny of the monarchy. Young men and women were martyred in their burning passion for freedom and democracy.
Enlightenment is then a process of personal and collective remolding which is learning to think for oneself and stop relying on the dictates of the powerful elite. It is learning and relearning the culture of freedom. Today, we honor the brave men and women thinkers and all the actors who pushed for the freedom of the mind that set many people free from oppression and subjugation.
Works Cited
Halsall, Paul. “Emmanuel Kant: What is Enlightenment?” Modern History Sourcebook. Aug. 1997. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
