Immanuel Kant’s Essay “What Is Enlightenment” Is Not Longer Relevant To Modern World

Freedom. It is more than a George Michel’s song. It actually means different things for different people. But at its core, freedom is “the power or right to act, speak or think what one wants”. For Immanuel Kant freedom from the guardians is the primary element for humanity to start thinking by ourselves and in the process become mature and ultimately enlightened. In this paper I will argue that Kant's essay “What is Enlightenment” does no longer apply to the modern world. To prove this claim I will evaluate our present era, how we live nowadays and compare it to Kant’s time 200 years ago.

Moreover I will address the opposition and give my final thoughts. It is the year 2017, and we live in the era where most of our thinking is done outside of our own brains. Some say that this is the era of smarter devices and ignorant minds. Welcome to the era of technology. Where phones do most of our thinking for us, watches can do far more than telling time, TVs are smart and so are self driving cars. Often times our knowledge comes from the internet. Or as I believe Kant would call it, “the ultimate guardian”. It is an intangible place where most, if not all of human knowledge is stored. The internet is similar to a theist definition of God. While it might not be all good. It is definitely all knowing and all powerful. It exist, it surround us, and the world yet it we can not seen it.

People can access it through desktop computers, laptops, tablets or even in a small cellphone that fits the palm of your hand. This devices powered by the internet tells us when to wake up, what to eat, where to go, how much exercise have we done and even when to congratulate someone for their birthday. For Kant in order to enter the enlightened era we must be free from the shackles of our guardians and start maturing by using our own reason in all matter. In this day and age we as humans are free to use our own reason in all matters. We can speak our mind when and where we want. However that does not mean we are correct. If all of the sudden we start to feel unwell? we might think that it is just a common cold. And that with some bed rest, lots of fluids, and maybe some Emergen-C we will be fine. But what would happen if that is not the case? How can we know what ills us if we don't seek attention from a professional? From someone that has spend years upon years learning about diseases and such. How is the opinion of a regular person be more valuable than that of a professional on any matter.

These professionals or as Kant’s called them “guardians” existe for a reason. These guardians spend years upon years mastering their craft or knowledge on a particular subject. And they deserve the merit they have earned. Kant says that these guardians restrict our freedom and keep us from maturity. He says that the only way to be enlightened is to use our own reason in all matters. Yet in reality it is impossible for a single being to have all the knowledge in the world. It is impossible to be one’s doctor, teacher, clergy, lawyer, etc. Some might argue that we can still achieve enlightenment by following Kant's advice. That maybe we just need to make some tweaks in order to continue the path to the enlightened era. Perhaps we might need to use less technology. Think more for ourselves and liberate us from guardians.

Nonetheless I believe gardian help to better the quality of our life. 200 years ago when Kant wrote his essay people were not able to type a question and have their answer in a second. They were not allowed to speak poorly of their ruler. And many died thanks to infections. Nowadays we can search online for the great wall of china and be transported to it by a VR headset. Most countries are in a democracy where you can say whatever you want about the present without being hanged. We discover penicillin and saved millions of lives. Our cars stop automatically if they sense someone in front thus preventing a fatal accident. People no longer die from HIV. There is a long list of achievement that would not have been possible without the help of guardians. And I highly doubt that humanity will give up all of this advancement to pursue an idea of what is the enlightenment. In Kant’s eyes we might seem immature and unable to think for yourself. But I disagree. I believe that guardians help make our lives easier, better. The world is not what it used to be, it is faster. And in order to keep up and stay sane we need guardians. Not to tell us what to think. But to guide us and help us thrive.