Kant’s Enlightenment Philosophy: Context and Impact
Historical Context
Kant’s philosophy is a clear manifestation of Enlightenment thought.
The Enlightenment, a philosophical and cultural movement, spanned from the Industrial Revolution to the French Revolution in Europe. It represented the culmination of a centuries-long struggle against the Old Regime, encompassing economic and political dimensions.
In the Anglo-Saxon movement, the Enlightenment was primarily economic, linked to modern science, empirical investigations, and methodological critiques of traditional metaphysical concepts. In France, the movement took on a highly political character. Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government was widely read by French intellectuals, with Rousseau giving a social dimension to Locke’s liberal contract. The ideas of democracy, separation of powers, political constitutionalism, the rule of law, economic liberalism, and human rights emerged, shaping European life.
The German Enlightenment
The Enlightenment in Germany had a unique character. Germany, composed of small territories rather than a unitary state, lacked a central court, leading to a more fragmented Enlightenment. However, Germany benefited from the Reformation, which established freedom of conscience and education as fundamental rights. Germany embraced both French and English philosophy, evolving from a timid beginning to a culmination of the era’s thought, exemplified by figures like Kant.
Kant dedicated his life to philosophy, remaining in his birthplace. Until 1772, he was a convinced rationalist. His enthusiasm for the French Revolution and American independence was well-known, aligning him with the Enlightenment project. This is reflected in his thinking. In 1784, he published an answer to the question “What is Enlightenment?” The Enlightenment is a process by which man seeks freedom, and the realization of the autonomy of reason. The enlightened subject, according to Kant, is defined by freedom, and reason is the instrument to achieve that freedom.
Kant’s Concept of Reason
The immediate question is what Kant understood by Reason, what rationality is referring. Kant rejected the concept of substantial reason as defined by Descartes and was forced to redefine rationality, leading to a new anthropology. If reason guides the establishment of an enlightened state, we must explore its scope and possibilities in three areas: knowledge, action, and hope. This research answers three questions: What can we know? What should we do? and What may we hope? Answering these questions allowed Kant to establish a new anthropology and a new concept of man and history.