In Kant’s What is Enlightenment, he starts off by saying “Enlightenment is the human being’s emergence from his self-incurred minority (Kant 1784).” What I believe he means here is that enlightenment is a form of slavery. Not like regular slavery but rather slavery of the mind. One isn’t free to think; one is told what to think. He says, “Have courage to make use of your own understanding! Is thus the motto of enlightenment (Kant 1784).”

He then states that “It is so comfortable to be a minor!(Kant 1784)” which he alludes to slavery as well. As a minor there are no worries since you have others to rely on and don’t need to do anything on your own.

He then speaks about enlightenment itself saying that it can be achieved slowly but most people cant make the transition to all the sudden have to think and do on their own, and thus will ultimately find another authority to govern over their thoughts and actions. We see this when Kant says, “Now this danger is not in fact so great, for by a few falls they would eventually learn to walk; but an example of this kind makes them timid and usually frightens the, away from further attempt (Kant 1784).” Kant’s belief that people need knowledge to overcome slavery is an agreement with Frederick Douglass. In “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass” it says, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. Now,” said he, “if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.” This was said by Mr. Auld, whom Frederick was living with, telling his wife not to teach a slave how to read. From this Frederick finally “understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.” Frederick thought that if he just knew how to read, he would be free. This idea does NOT concur with what Kant said in What is Enlightenment, since he says that people need to first get over the hump of relying on others or else they will just go serve someone else. It is a process that ends with knowledge according to Kant but that is not the sole basis for freedom.