Written in 1784, "Answering the Question: What is Enlightenment?" is one of philosopher Immanuel Kant's most influential and famous essays. Here Kant addresses the causes for a lack of Enlightenment in society, and the preconditions a person must meet in order to gain it. Controversial for its critique of church and state with regard to how it tells citizens to think, he argues that any lack of Enlightenment is really due to lack of courage on the thinker's part. This essay is a great start to anyone interested in Kant, who is considered to be one of the last great Enlightenment philosophers.
About The Author:
Immanuel Kant (22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher from Königsberg in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Europe and the last major philosopher of the Enlightenment.
For more great philosophical excerpts check out: Classics of Western Philosophy: Volume 1 and Volume 2.