The essays What is Enlightenment? (1784) and Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) were written in the period between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Taken together they challenge all free people to think about the requirements for self-determination both in our individual lives and in our public and private institutions.
In spite of its formidable title and its philosophical style, Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals is dedicated to the proposition that all people can know what we need to know to be honest, good, wise, and virtuous. The purpose of Kant's moral philosophy is to help us become aware of principles already contained within us. Innocence and dependence must be replaced with wisdom and good will if we are to avoid being vulnerable and misguided.
According to Kant, freedom of thought leads naturally to freedom of action. When that happens, governments begin to treat human beings not as machines, but as persons with dignity.