We are starting off the semester with a really good read! Kant's "What Is Enlightenment?" was short but sweet, and I really value the insight that was brought to the table. One of my favorite parts of this reading was towards the beginning, which reads as follows:
"It is so easy not to be of age. If I have a book which understands for me, a pastor who has a conscience for me, a physician who decides my diet, and so forth, I need not trouble myself. I need not think, if I can only pay - others will readily undertake the irksome work for me."
To possess this mindset is to set yourself up for complete and utter failure, and yet we see it all the time. We as human beings consistently choose the easy way in every avenue of our lives. We shy away from conflict, stress, pain, and the hard questions. We actively avoid confronting our faults and our fears, and it leads us to be complacent in our ignorance, or tutelage, as Kant calls it. Kant is very accurate in his observation that this complacency makes it difficult to make use of our ability to reason. However, as we continue to pursue wisdom and understanding, we have to be wholly aware of our human bent towards complacency so that we can combat it properly. If we want to succeed in Honors, in our degree programs, in our careers, and even in our relationships, we have to make a conscious effort to think. To approach life's big questions with a spirit of timidity or indifference is to give your mind a death sentence. God has given us minds for a reason. Kant and I would both implore you to use them regularly and fearlessly. Kant in his closing paragraph describes the enlightened man as one who is not afraid of shadows. There are shadows aplenty in this world. But rather than turn a blind eye to them, let us confront them boldly. After all, only what is won from the darkness will remain.
madison & christian
"It is so easy not to be of age. If I have a book which understands for me, a pastor who has a conscience for me, a physician who decides my diet, and so forth, I need not trouble myself. I need not think, if I can only pay - others will readily undertake the irksome work for me."
To possess this mindset is to set yourself up for complete and utter failure, and yet we see it all the time. We as human beings consistently choose the easy way in every avenue of our lives. We shy away from conflict, stress, pain, and the hard questions. We actively avoid confronting our faults and our fears, and it leads us to be complacent in our ignorance, or tutelage, as Kant calls it. Kant is very accurate in his observation that this complacency makes it difficult to make use of our ability to reason. However, as we continue to pursue wisdom and understanding, we have to be wholly aware of our human bent towards complacency so that we can combat it properly. If we want to succeed in Honors, in our degree programs, in our careers, and even in our relationships, we have to make a conscious effort to think. To approach life's big questions with a spirit of timidity or indifference is to give your mind a death sentence. God has given us minds for a reason. Kant and I would both implore you to use them regularly and fearlessly. Kant in his closing paragraph describes the enlightened man as one who is not afraid of shadows. There are shadows aplenty in this world. But rather than turn a blind eye to them, let us confront them boldly. After all, only what is won from the darkness will remain.
madison & christian
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