“Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why such a large part of mankind gladly remain minors all their lives, long after nature has freed them from external guidance. They are the reasons why it is so easy for others to set themselves up as guardians.”

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Imagine you're a kid and your parents always tell you what to do, what to think, and what to believe. You never really learn to think for yourself or make your own decisions. That's kind of like what Immanuel Kant is talking about in his essay "What is Enlightenment?".

He says that people are often stuck in a state of "nonage", where they can't think for themselves and need others to guide them. This is not because they're not #smart enough, but because they're too #lazy or #scared to use their own minds.

Kant thinks that people should be brave and start thinking for themselves. He says that we should "dare to know" and use our own #reason to figure out what's true and what's not. This is what he calls "enlightenment".

But, it's not easy. There are lots of people who want to keep others in a state of nonage, like #government, #churche, and other #authority figures. They might say things like "don't #question, just #obey" or "don't think, just believe".

Kant thinks that this is #wrong. He says that people should be free to think and express their own #opinions, as long as they're not hurting anyone else. He believes that this is the only way that people can truly be enlightened and reach their full #potential.

So, in short, Kant's essay is all about the #importance of #thinking for #yourself, being brave, and seeking #knowledge and #truth.

It's a call to action for people to wake up, think critically, and take control of their own lives.

Will give it a read

Great share. The industrial indoctrination machine aka the public school system as well as people in power could benefit from a little of this thought. All the normies and sheep have been brought up in a system that’s designed to tell them what, when and how to think, leading to people question what, when and how to do. While stifling their own enlightenment journey.

Damn, it starts with a banger!

> Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance.

Underrated text 🫡 It might be good to note that good old Immanuel does not refer to spiritual enlightenment or transcendence, but the sense of rational thinking and independence.

Enlightenment is realising that the only thing you really own is your self custody bitcion