Due Date: Monday, 9/16/2024, handed in class.

NOTE: This reading has 3 parts. You should read all three parts. The first two provide historical and intellectual context. The last reading is the actual essay by Kant  Note, we will discuss the material in all three parts, so make sure you study all of the assigned pages in the reading, not just the essay by Kant.

READ – I. Kant’s essay “What is Enlightenment”?

Kant-What-is-Enlightenment-excerptDownload

Study Questions – to be handed in class

Study Questions(these are the questions you should answer in your paper for this assignment)

NOTE: Papers have to be typed, in paragraph length and brought to class. We will weave your responses in our class discussion, so be prepared to explain, backup, motivate your answers to these study questions.

Also, remember that these are study questions, the point is not necessarily to answer them correctly, but to give it your best shot, think of it as homework and preparation for our in-class discussion.

  1. Paraphrase in your own words, Kant’s definition of “Enlightenment”.
  2. What is immaturity for Kant? What does he mean by it?
  3. How does someone become immature? What makes someone be/act immature? Can you give an example?
  4. What does it mean to be mature (to be enlightened)? Give an example. How is it different from being mature?
  5. Kant differentiates between public and private. What is the difference? Give an example. (Note: his way of thinking about these two words is different from the common way we think about it today).