Understanding Enlightenment Philosophy and Kantian Ethics
Illustration: It is a period of European history that begins in the Renaissance (XVIIth-XVIII), where the ideas of Locke are typically illustrated. Enlightenment values had repercussions in Europe and America, and they are home to the aspirations of man during this time to emancipate from the metropolises, which was noticed when the first revolution broke out, followed by the South American countries. Manuel Kant: Some of the general symbols of Enlightenment include the encyclopedia and the Encyclopedists. One of the general ideas is to diffuse knowledge about nature, including:
- Physical methods to find out about nature.
- To spread the techniques to manufacture raw materials into something else.
- To search for the foundations of society in human nature.
At the same time, there is a change in the way we conceive of religion; a different way is a feeling about things in the world, which does not mean that we must follow a religion. Work is a value that is shown. Emancipation is also valued; when a man is not free or emancipated, he is lacking in knowledge. Emancipation: The illustration is the tolerance of man from his guilty capacity, religious disability, and the impossibility of relying on another for guidance. This failure is often attributed to a lack of intelligence, but the value lies in using your own reason, as expressed in sapere aude—the courage to use your own reason. This is the subject of the illustration: atrevete a saber. Kant’s works speak correctly of the moral critique of practical reason, starting with the metaphysical foundations of customs: how does one release oneself from the human condition? Knowledge can conquer nature. Through knowledge, we are getting rid of what nature imposes on us. Insofar as we overcome the obstacles of our nature, we feel more freedom; however, we must use our human resources—memory, will, knowledge, etc.—which do not determine our nature. Scientific Method: We must demonstrate knowledge to investigate other claims. Free Man Emancipated: This has the possibility of free and unconditioned acts. Moral Act: This means acting beyond purely human self-interest. A free man has the possibility of free events and terms, and we are getting into the issue of morality. Moral acts transcend mere human self-interest. When we overcome our interests, we begin to have a moral life. The human being, as a person, is considered the highest moral value. This consideration is at the origin of the Enlightenment, which illustrates and demonstrates knowledge of humanity. It was during this epoch of the Renaissance when men were recognized as individuals, and women began to be acknowledged as people too. We all have rights, and we all have reason. Each man begins and ends in himself, and therefore nobody has the right to use another person as a means to an end. The Moral Point of Partisanship Kantian: The answer can be summarized as follows: 1. The moral law is not something the human mind creates; it is a demand of our ability to reason. 2. Human reason postulates a categorical imperative that means universal in the particular conditions of duty. 3. Duty is the need for action out of respect for the law; we act not for ourselves but because we respect the law. 4. There are other imperatives that also determine the will, which are hypothetical and conditioned by external forces to achieve an objective. 5. Categorical imperatives (absolute obligations) are final and universal, not derived from individual feelings but from reason in its practical operation, which imposes responsibilities on a free and immortal man. 6. Two actions are possible in human behavior: a) the contradictions of duty, b) the line of duty, c) those actions made out of duty. Only the latter are the object of morality, which is fixed in the form and intention of the subject. Kantian Ethics: This develops in two books: the Metaphysics of Morals and the Critique of Practical Reason. It answers the traditional question of philosophy: What should I do? Kant’s ethics responds to an ideal of Enlightenment, which was liberty as emancipation and knowledge as a universal form of coexistence and tolerance. Human beings, as natural beings, are conditioned by instincts and desires that do not depend on us but on our nature. We must weigh our nature beyond our instincts and natural desires. Other nuances become evident when we separate each individual and their interests; we might say we would have our own life. Moral Law: A morality should not be conditional; it must be autonomous and oppose theological morals. Morality contains principles that are not derived from something posterior. The moral idea is a priori for Kant; morality is concrete and does not depend on experience, specifically in the categorical imperative, which means that some forces compel us to act in a certain way. This implies an absolute imperative that raises the question: “Who acts this way?” For duty’s sake, it is your own conscience. With these two ways of interpretation, we are about autonomy. The expression of the categorical imperative can be: “Act so that your behavior can be elevated to a universal model.” This is equivalent to being valid for what is valid for me. Thus, act in your moral conduct towards others, and do not consider yourself merely as an instrument, but as an end in yourself. It has several applications: a duty to oneself, which obligates us to extend our capabilities knowingly and voluntarily. This criticizes laziness, ignorance, and lack of will, which weigh heavily on us.