From a historical standpoint, philosophical thinking has always been the fundamental prospect that has shaped society’s sense of ethics and morality. Accordingly, philosophical thinking has resulted in the acknowledgment of a series of new ideologies that has hinted upon the concepts of the ideal man and having a general understanding of things. As such, Immanuel Kant’s, “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment” emphasizes on the importance of utilizing one’s own understanding and communicating it to the world at large. Nonetheless, enlightenment is often hindered because of the fears and horrors that often arise from a person’s ability to think and reason on their own. However, similar to the process of walking, enlightenment is the first and fundamental step to independence, perceptiveness, and self-reliance. The text compares enlightenment to walking, to explain the importance of being independent. Both walking and reasoning are necessary for independence. This analogy helps us understand how difficult it would be to survive in the society without being able to think independently. A man that can’t walk is disabled; a man that can’t think on his own is just a follower.
One thought on “Enlightenment and Walking”
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1. Hook ( I think your hook is a bit vague … it’s like all philosophers in man), but you have a hook. B-
2. Transition. You have one, but b/c the hook is vague and broad the transition is not as strong. Part of the problem is that you’re relying too much on connecting phrases (i.e. “Accordingly”). I think though your idea was to suggest that philosophy is highlighting the centrality of man and his own understanding at this time, and Kant’s essay begins immediately by underlining the importance that man develop his own thinking. If I’m right here, the idea is not bad. The execution needs to be stronger. B+
3. The thesis is text based, which is great! You identify a strong and clear “it” You are making a claim about the metaphor of walking and what it’s doing in that moment and it’s stakes for the piece as a whole. A/A+
4. I don’t really see a road map here. Other than what I am inferring from your thesis, I don’t quite know how you plan to organize your paper to illustrate this point. F (59) I am giving points b/c I can infer, but I can’t give a passing grade to what’s not there.
Total tentative grade; B-/B