The way that Kant described Enlightenment made the most sense to me, really grabbing my attention. “Enlightenment is man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage.” In other words, enlightenment is when one is able to form thoughts, opinions, conclusions, etc. without direction from another. This may come off as a simple task, but is far from it. In Kant’s “What Is Enlightenment?,” he breaks down the obstacles and reasons that keeps man from being enlightened, as well as what kind scenarios and actions are needed to overcome the barriers to enlightenment.

People are lazy and scared of change and to think for themselves, especially in today’s day and age. Formulating one’s own opinion on any given topic has become such a courageous act, that it could even be considered a rare trait, and is often seen as far out and crazy by those who don’t understand or agree with it. Hence, the fear of even attempting it, or sharing it with the public, at least. Take students in a classroom for example, there have been countless occasions where the professor has asked the class a question and students have been scared to share their answer; the best occasions have been when the questions were opinion-based, meaning no necessarily correct answer. The students, like most of mankind, are scared to share their opinion with the class (world) because they do not want to risk being ridiculed and seen as different by their peers.

However, man is not to blame when they have been brought up in such an obedient seeking society. We are taught to do as authority figures say, without question, and are penalized when we do otherwise. At home, we do not question our parents’ requests; at school, we listen and do as our teachers say; on the street, we dare not even come off as questioning authority by those in uniform. Kant says that only those who are enlightened will tell you to argue as much as you like and argue about what you obey.