Philosophy – According to Kant’s idea of enlightenment, would a child be considered unenlightened?
The correct answer and explanation is:
According to Immanuel Kant’s concept of enlightenment, a child would indeed be considered unenlightened. Kant defines enlightenment as humanity’s emergence from self-imposed immaturity, which he describes as the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another. Immaturity in this sense arises from a lack of reason or the failure to exercise it. Kant emphasizes that enlightenment involves individuals taking responsibility for their own thinking and being able to question traditional authority and societal norms.
A child, by definition, has not yet developed the capacity for independent reasoning or critical thinking. Kant believes that enlightenment requires individuals to think for themselves, guided by reason and free from reliance on external authorities, such as religious or governmental institutions. Since children are in the early stages of cognitive development, they are not yet capable of fully engaging with these complex philosophical tasks. As a result, they would be considered immature in the Kantian sense.
However, it is important to note that Kant’s idea of enlightenment is not a static state. He sees it as a process of intellectual and moral growth, which children undergo as they mature and begin to engage more independently with the world. Over time, children can progress towards enlightenment as they develop their capacity for reason, critical thinking, and autonomy. In this way, Kant’s idea of enlightenment is not limited to a specific age group but is a lifelong journey toward intellectual and moral independence.
Thus, while a child would be classified as unenlightened according to Kant’s definition, this immaturity is seen as a natural stage in the process of developing enlightenment.