Was The Enlightenment Really The Age of Reason? Essay -- Social Studie

â€Å"Reason does not work instinctively, but requires trial, practice, and instruction in order to gradually progress from one level of insight to another† Immanuel Kant. Kant’s opinion of reason is that it is a force, which is ever-evolving and constantly building on previous insights. The Enlightenment is a historical period referring to the intellectual movement that swept across Europe in the 18th century. To tackle this question, I will be looking at two texts. The essays, ‘An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment’ by Immanuel Kant, an 18th century philosopher, and ‘What is Enlightenment’ by Michel Foucault, a 20th century philosopher. The texts show that the Enlightenment was the age of reason because it allowed individuals to use reason in order to break free from the minority placed on their lives, the results of which are still influencing the world we live in today. Kant referred to the age in which he lived as an ‘age’ of enlightenment. He felt that human beings could often live in a state of â€Å"self-incurred minority.† This refers to the lack of courage in an individual, to use his own intellect (reason) without direction from someone else. The Oxford Dictionary defines reason as â€Å"the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic.† Although this is a modern definition of reason it is similar to the definition of reason in the Enlightenment era, where John Locke describes reason as â€Å"the discovery of the certainty or probability of such propositions or truths which the mind arrives at by deductions [inferences] made from such ideas which it has got by use of its natural faculties, viz. by sensation and reflection.† Kant states that having â€Å"a book that understands for me, a sp... ...d Reason, and their Distinct Provinces." Columbia University. http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/Projects/digitexts/locke/understanding/chapter0418.html (accessed May 13, 2012). Camilleri, Kristian. Lecture 10: Thursday, March 29, 2012:Reason (MULT10016-Stream1) Sem1_2012. Podcast audio. Mp3, 55:01. Accessed March 29, 2012. http://content.lecture.unimelb.edu.au:8080/ess/echo/presentation/cc84f47f-47b9-4429-b55a-c24d3af7866f. Foucault, Michel. "Michel Foucault. What is Enlightenment?" MICHEL FOUCAULT, info. Pantheon Books. 1984. http://foucault.info/documents/whatIsEnlightenment/foucault.whatIsEnlightenment.en.html (accessed May 7, 2012). Oxford University Press. Reason. April 2010. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/reason?region=us (accessed May 13, 2012). Burns, William E. Science in the Enlightenment. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003.