The Enlightenment began during the late seventeenth century, a period of great mayhem. Reason had guided thinkers to the conclusion that kings and queens were standard mortals, generating uncertainty. In A Dictionary of the English Language, Samuel Johnson’s definition of “enlighten” constituted “to furnish with encrease of knowledge” and “to illuminate with divine knowledge.” (104) Essentially, this definition encompassed the world view of Enlightenment thinkers, who aspired for individuals not to rely on external authorities and, instead, utilize their intelligence to critically think through potentially persuasive and misleading claims. Hence, these individuals would become independent and skeptical adults capable of utilizing reason as opposed to prejudice or habit to ultimately attain knowledge and freedom from conventional wisdom.

Immanuel Kant’s text, What Is Enlightenment?, resonated with me more than the texts of Johnson, Descartes, and Diderot & D’Alembert. Kant’s definition of “enlightenment” is “man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage,” which is an individual’s inability to utilize her/his understanding without direction from another individual. Kant credits lifelong tutelage of mankind to laziness and cowardice due to a dependence on guardians, generating “I need not think, if I can only pay” as a way of thinking. (105) Kant detested this immaturity, as he stated nothing is required for this enlightenment but the freedom to make public use of one’s reason. (106) Finally, I appreciate Kant’s distinction in regards to an “enlightened age,” which we are not, and an “age of enlightenment,” which we are, because I believe tutelage will continue to exist regardless of its gradual reduction. (108) In today’s age of social media, the bandwagon effect is visible, as it is desirable to agree than disagree with majority opinion.