Enlightenment and the Struggle for Independent Thought: Revisiting Kant’s Philosophy in Modern Society

Immanuel Kant believed that when a person starts to think for themselves and inquires into why things are done the way they are, they have gained enlightenment. According to Kant, in order to be really enlightened, a person must not be affected by others, often known as "guardians." Enlightenment is hard to obtain, though. Kant believes that "laziness and cowardice" are the main causes of the difficulty in achieving enlightenment. Following in the footsteps of others is much simpler for a person to accomplish, and deviating from what everyone else is doing might be terrifying. Because they have never been permitted to think for themselves previously and are terrified of failing if they do, those who lack the ability to think for themselves are what prevent them from being enlightened. According to Kant, everyone may be prevented from achieving enlightenment since some people are unable to reason for themselves. However, the few who do achieve enlightenment can challenge the "guardians," and gradually the general populace can achieve enlightenment. According to Kant's concept, I don't think we live in an age of enlightenment. Many people in today's culture lack the ability to think for themselves. We adopt the opinions of the majority out of a fear of standing out and facing judgment from others. For this form of illumination, freedom is all that is required, according to Kant. Despite the fact that we are in a free nation, our thoughts are not. We have been taught what is good and wrong since we were young children. We have not been able to establish our own ideas, and if we deviate from what is considered acceptable by society, we face criticism. In my opinion, it is almost hard for a person in contemporary culture to think independently of other people's opinions. Wouldn't more people deviate from others around them to adhere to the logic of their own intellectual capability if there were a world that was genuinely enlightened? Although he probably knew this in his writings, Kant decided to present his idea as a universal possibility among communities. He may have done this to show that the only people who can truly attain enlightenment are those who are the driving force behind their communities and should take the initiative to lead rather than follow.