What is Enlightenment?
E54472
"What is Enlightenment?" is a seminal 1784 essay by Immanuel Kant that defines enlightenment as humanity’s emergence from self-imposed immaturity through the courageous use of reason.
Aliases (2)
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
philosophical essay
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work by Immanuel Kant → |
| addresses |
relationship between reason and authority
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role of the individual in social progress → |
| advocates |
freedom for the public use of reason
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| arguesThat |
immaturity is self-imposed when it does not result from lack of understanding but from lack of resolve and courage
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| associatedWith |
concept of progress through reason
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emancipation from tutelage → |
| author |
Immanuel Kant
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| centralThesis |
enlightenment requires freedom to make public use of reason in all matters
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| countryOfOrigin |
Kingdom of Prussia
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| criticizes |
paternalistic authority over citizens’ thinking
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| definesEnlightenmentAs |
humanity’s emergence from self-imposed immaturity
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| distinguishesBetween |
public use of reason and private use of reason
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| emphasizes |
courageous use of one’s own understanding
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| famousMotto |
Sapere aude
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| genre |
philosophical essay
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| historicalContext |
late 18th-century Prussia
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| influenced |
critical theory
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later debates on modernity → political philosophy of autonomy → |
| keyConcept |
freedom of thought
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private use of reason → public use of reason → sapere aude → self-imposed immaturity → |
| language |
German
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| mainTopic |
enlightenment (philosophy)
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intellectual autonomy → use of reason → |
| mottoTranslation |
Dare to know
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| notableQuote |
Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.
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Have courage to use your own understanding! → |
| originalPublicationType |
journal article
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| originalTitle |
Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung?
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| philosophicalDiscipline |
moral philosophy
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philosophy of history → political philosophy → |
| philosophicalMovement |
Enlightenment
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| privateUseOfReasonDefinedAs |
use of reason within a civil post or office
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| publicationYear |
1784
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| publicUseOfReasonDefinedAs |
use of reason as a scholar addressing the reading public
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| subjectOf |
extensive scholarly commentary
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Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
German Enlightenment
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hasKeyWork |
|
What is Enlightenment?
("Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.")
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notableQuote |
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What is Enlightenment?
("Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung?")
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originalTitle |