Tag Archives: enlightenment

Blog Post #1 – Enlightenment

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Hello, everyone! My name is Erick Cumbe and it’s my first semester at Baruch College as a transfer student. I actually went to City College but decided to come into Baruch since it’s a business school and I want to major in Finance. I never imagined doing such a drastic change but now that I’m here, I couldn’t be any happier and I hope that everything goes well.

After reading Immanuel Kant’s response to “What is Enlightenment?”, I took it as Kant basically saying that Enlightenment is when a human being reaches a full level of maturity, or in other words, someone who grows up and makes decisions on his/her own. For example, a child, for instance, hasn’t gone through enlightenment because he/she still needs one’s assistance. In this case, they will need their parents to eat, to bathe, or to even just go to the park. If you think about it their parents, think and speak for them because they decide what their child should do. This means that a child doesn’t have their own voice when it comes to actually controlling his/her life. On the other hand, someone who is older perhaps an independent adult probably does manage to reach enlightenment because he/she doesn’t depend on others. Which means that they’ve reached a level of maturity to actually think on their own and make their own decisions, which in my opinion is what Kant meant when he said to “Have courage to use your own understanding!” (Enlightenment 1).

Through Kant’s response, he mentions many reasons why people never reach a certain level of maturity. The one that stood out to me the most is when he mentions that people stay immature because they can be cowards. Although it sounds mean, I do agree with this statement because it doesn’t matter what you do in life you always have to have the courage to take that first step and actually do it. Many people don’t and it’s not because they’re necessarily scared about the situation but because they’re afraid of being judged. For example, trends that happen nowadays because of social media and the internet, there will always be those people who instantly jump on it because they are cowards in my opinion. People like these just follow the trends just to be cool or on top of things but they never really developed a voice of their own because they’re being nothing but a follower, instead of a leader. That’s why I agree with Kant because in situations like these it proves one way that people can be immature.

In all honesty, I believe that we don’t live in an enlightenment age, I don’t think we ever will because it’s simply not possible. If we follow the definition that Kant gave about actually reaching enlightenment it’ll mean that we can’t ask for help or that we shouldn’t let anyone speak for us. For example, in the business field, you could be the most courageous person and always voice out your opinion but you wouldn’t do that towards your boss because you’ll end up without a job. I also believe that you can’t go through your entire life without asking for help, everyone needs help in life sooner or later. In my opinion, the definition of enlightenment should be “when one takes charge of their own life and isn’t afraid of receiving help.”

Blog Post #1

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Hi everyone. My name is Saqib and I am a sophmore majoring in finance. I am from Queens and have been living here my entire life. Basketball is one of my passions and it was of my favorite sports to watch as a kid. I was on my high school’s basketball team my sophmore and junior year, and it became a huge part of my life. However, in January 2014, I was hit by a car during a late night run and could not play anymore. This forced me to take a break and not play basketball seriously anymore. Despite this, I still play recreationally at my local gym.

According to Immanuel Kant, the Enlightment is the process in which one rids themselves of immaturity. Immaturity, as Kant defines, “is the inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another” (Enlightment 1). He is saying that society is too reliant on one another and lacks the courage to use their own knowledge and judgement to make their own educated decisions. Although this definition is straightforward, achieving it is not at all. He argues that mankind struggles to achieve enlightenment because it has become almost second nature of mankind to rely on others. He also states that ‘laziness and cowardice’ are two traits that plague us as a society from realizing enlightenment. It is extremely easy and convenient to follow another person’s lead instead of using one’s own judgement. For example Kant explains, “I need not think as long as I can pay” (Enlightenment 1). Through this he is saying that as long as one has guidance and supports or follows it, he or she does not need to make their own decisions.

Despite us constantly evolving as a society, I believe we still have a long way to go before we can truly identify ourselves as enlightened. From a young age we are taught to take advantage of things given to us. When things are not given to us we often struggle, and in some cases completely refuse to do what we should. Additionally, peer pressure is still relevant and influences many people as they do things solely because people around them are doing it. Although Kant wrote this article in 1784, his arguments still hold merit as we still have not achieved enlightenment as a society.

Enlightenment According to Kant

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Hey everyone, my name is Anna Christ.  I am currently a sophomore and I am majoring in Accounting.  I transferred here last semester so this is only my second semester here at Baruch.  I live on Long Island where I am a volunteer firefighter in my town.

According to Immanuel Kant, enlightenment is attained when an individual begins to think for oneself and questions why things are done the way they are.  Kant believes for someone to truly be enlightened they must not be influenced by others, referred to as “guardians”.  However, enlightenment is not easy to achieve.  Kant views “laziness and cowardice” as the reasons enlightenment is so difficult to attain.  It is much easier for an individual to follow the footsteps of other people, the “guardians”, and it can be frightening to stray from what everyone else is doing.  What holds an individual back from becoming enlightened is not knowing how to think for oneself; they have never been allowed to think for themselves before and are afraid of failure if they do.  Kant states that there may be some who cannot think for themselves which may hold everyone back from becoming enlightened.  But, the few that do become enlightened can question the “guardians”, and the public can become enlightened slowly.

Based on Kant’s definition, I do not believe we live in an enlightened age.  In today’s society, many of us do not think for ourselves.  We follow the views of the majority because we are afraid of being different and judged by others.  Kant states, “for enlightenment of this kind, all that is needed is freedom.”  We may live in a free country, but our thoughts are not free.  Since we were children we have been taught what is right and what is wrong.  We have not been able to formulate our own opinions; if we stray from what is socially acceptable we are criticized for it.  I think it is close to impossible for an individual in our society to think entirely by oneself without any influence from others.

Blog Post 1: Enlightenment

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Hi everyone, my name is Karen Yeung. I’m a freshman and will probably major in accounting.

 

Kant believes that enlightenment is when one rises up and comes out from his own “immaturity” that they have caused. He defines “immaturity” as the incapability of using one’s own brain to think for themselves without the help and acknowledgement of others. I believe that Kant is trying to say that enlightenment is attained when one is able to think on their own without being afraid to voice their thoughts. In order to achieve complete enlightenment, one should have full control and freedom over their own opinions without being influenced by people with authority, or institutions and society as a whole.

 

One of the main reasons Kant thinks enlightenment is difficult to achieve is because people do not take initiative, where he describes it as “laziness and cowardice.” When there are others who are willing to step in and guide them, “it is so convenient to be immature!” The dependence on others that will think for them is what Kant mentions as “immaturity.” For example, it is easier to follow the majority because it is what most people think or agree on. One does not have to form their own thoughts if they can simply get away with following what everyone else says. As well as laziness, cowardice plays a role in why enlightenment is hard to achieve. Kant uses the analogy of the domesticated animals to prove his point. If one is accustomed to having others guide them, they are not exposed to thinking for themselves. Consequently, thinking on their own and using reason would be unfamiliar to them because they are afraid of the unknown, and that “usually frightens them off from further attempts.”

 

Based on Kant’s definition, I think that we do live in an enlightened age, but not completely. Even though some people rely on others and follow the norm, many people still think for themselves. I think social media allows people to voice their opinions and say whatever they want.

Kant’s Enlightenment

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Hi Everybody! My name is Chris and I am currently a junior majoring in finance at Baruch.

 

I believe that Kant’s view on Enlightenment is that for a person to truly achieve it, one must be able to think and reason solely by oneself without being influenced by the views and thoughts of other people or institutions around them. Kant mentions that “laziness” and “cowardice” are two primary barriers that prevent mankind from reaching what he believes is Enlightenment. Laziness can prevent a person from attaining Enlightenment because simply following what others believe or what others think is a lot simpler than having your own view on a certain issue or topic. It is definitely easier to depend on other people who may be deemed as professionals in a certain field to tell you the correct answer or approach to a problem instead of thinking of a solution by yourself. Kant believes that once a person is accustomed to being lazy, it is difficult for them to break away from it because of the danger of the unknown and the fear of heading into a scenario where an individual doesn’t have guidance from another person. Cowardice also plays an important role in Kant’s argument because during his lifetime, the Church and the State had a lot of power and also tried to control the mass population with their doctrines or laws. People were afraid to go against these two institutions, which resulted in many people blindly following what the Church preached or what the State thought was good instead of thinking for themselves.

 

Based on Kant’s definition of Enlightenment, I believe we currently aren’t even close to achieving it. Our society today fails to get pass Kant’s two barriers preventing Enlightenment, which were and still are laziness and cowardice. With the popularity of social media in our society today, many people just follow the views and beliefs of popular people on social media without even hesitating. Most people also cannot have a legitimate debate about a certain issue or topic and will stick to their opinions even if they are proven wrong by facts, which demonstrates their cowardice of being labeled as wrong. Most people just cannot accept that what they believe is labeled as wrong and instead of sitting down to discuss their opinion, they will simply refuse to discuss why they believe something is right and just say they are right without providing any facts or evidence. This is extremely prevalent in online forums or comment sections of news or articles. Instead of the Church and State, I believe that the corporations and government today are the two major and most powerful institutions that prevent people from reaching Kant’s version of Enlightenment. To achieve a high position in both of these institutions, many people must give up their ideas or thoughts to please their higher ups and meet company or government policy. Sometimes the best worker or the best politician with the greatest ideas will get fired or not voted into office because they couldn’t or wouldn’t suck up to their bosses or colleagues. I do agree with Kant’s definition of Enlightenment, but believe it will never be achieved by the human population.

What is Enlightenment?

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For your first blog assignment, due Thursday evening (2/2), you’ll need to start by carefully reading the two short texts I passed out at the end of class (also up under the readings tab of this blog):

“The Enlightenment in Europe and the Americas”

Kant, “What Is Enlightenment?”

Remember to read with a pen/pencil in hand, looking up words if you need to. You should be prepared to re-read the Kant essay: it’s short but dense, and it makes some distinctions that may not be easy to understand with a single reading.

First, make sure your assignment starts with a brief hello introducing yourself to the class. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you’ve edited your blog profile to show your full name and (if you choose) a picture. You can do this by clicking on the “Welcome, [your name]” at the top right of this screen.

In a short blog post of no more than 500 words, explain your take on Kant’s response to his central question. First, explain in your own words what you understand Kant’s answer to be (that is, what he thinks Enlightenment is). Then, explain why Kant thinks Enlightenment is difficult to achieve. (If you think there are several reasons, you should feel free to focus on one.) These two components should take up no more than half of your post, so choose your words carefully and avoid fluff. You should quote important phrases if you think they add to your explanation, but avoid long quotations. Instead, focus on your own explanation.

Finally, for the last part of this post, I have a question that might be rather challenging, so be sure to give it some thought: Based on Kant’s definition, do you think we currently live in an enlightened age? Why or why not? Would you propose another definition? (We’ll talk about this question a bit at the beginning of class next Monday as well.)

This should be a new blog post of your own (not a comment on this post); you can start a new post by going to the “+New” button in the top black bar of this screen. Before you “Publish” your post (blue button on the right of the text box), be sure to proofread it carefully and please tag your post (in the window to the right). You can use existing tags or create new ones of your own.

If you’re still learning how to use the blog platform, check out the “Help!” button at the top of the screen. A rubric for how blog posts are evaluated can be found on the syllabus. If you review these and still have questions, you can ask a classmate for help or (if all else fails) email me.