The Conditions, Purpose And Reflection Of Enlightenmen

The spirit of the Enlightenment,a great intellectual liberation movement in history,was and still is beneficial to the people of that time.And Kant inherited the spirit of the Enlightenment and made reflections on it.He proposed the principle of self-criticism and self-legislation of reason,and then wrote "Answer this question: What is the Enlightenment? which has long been regarded as the classic definition of the spirit of the Enlightenment.Through this essay,we will find that Kant,in order to set the tone of human enlightenment,defines enlightenment by explaining the manifestations of the immature state of human beings by giving examples and elaborating that laziness and cowardice are the causes of the immature state.Thus,Kant’s maxim for enlightenment is the courageous use of one’s reason.The bold use of one’s reason requires not only personal courage,but also external public conditions.In the personal sphere,individuals complete the "Copernican revolution" in the intellectual sphere and legislate for nature;in the moral sphere,individuals are convinced of conscience and moral laws and establish the principle of personal moral legislation;in the political sphere,individuals,as subjects of legal rights,enter the state of citizenship through the "contract of origin In the political sphere,individuals as subjects of legal rights enter into a state of citizenship through a "contract of origin",thus preserving the rights of individuals.In the public condition,not only the rule of enlightened monarchs like philosophical kings is needed,but also the leadership of intellectuals and the external environment of the world civil society.As can be seen,Kant’s view of enlightenment is closely linked to the construction of his critical philosophy,and he not only draws on the essence of Enlightenment thinkers,but also applies his self-criticism of pure reason to the statement of enlightenment.Whether it is the establishment of religion under pure practical reason or the external goal of world citizenship and perpetual peace,for Kant the ultimate aim of the Enlightenment is not in the intellectual expansion or the mastery of political power,but in the virtue of human beings;Kant’s ultimate aim is the aspiration for humanity and its future.Therefore,the mission of the Enlightenment is humanity and its future.However,Kant certainly enters into a circular argument when he relies on the external conditions of enlightened monarchs to help people become enlightened.The prerequisite for an enlightened monarch to assist people in their enlightenment is how that monarch is enlightened,and assuming that he is not untutored or gifted,then there must be an enlightened person to help that monarch,and so the cycle continues,with fruitless results.Likewise,intellectual enlightenment falls into a circular argument.Finally,the spirit of autonomy as the conception of the spirit of enlightenment,rationality and independence are the characteristics of the spirit of autonomy.And the separation of church and state is to maintain the spirit of autonomy,and the establishment of truth is to better define the space of autonomy.Moreover,the spirit of autonomy ultimately returns to man,so man and his universal rights are the core elements of the spirit of enlightenment.