Ive always had a love-hate affair with Immanuel Kant. Just as I am about to abandon him as emotionally deficient, I read him again, and I remind myself why I studied him in the first place. Great passage here from What is Enlightenment? After the guardians have first made their domestic cattle dumb and have made sure that these placid creatures will not dare take a single step without the harness of the cart to which they are tethered, the guardians then show them the danger which threatens if they try to go alone. Actually, however, this danger is not so great, for by falling a few times they would finally learn to walk alone. But an example of this failure makes them timid and ordinarily frightens them away from all further trials. Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own reason!- that is the motto of enlightenment. Looking at the political and institutional failure with respect to climate change, it looks as though we are going to have to have the courage to use our own reason and go it alone with some for of ecological self-socialisation across the planet. fordham.edu/halsall/mod/kant-whatis.asp
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 20:39:06 +0000
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