What is Enlightenment?

You've probably heard that thinking for yourself is a good thing. Maybe you’ve even been told that we live in the “information age,” where knowledge is at your fingertips. But there’s more to becoming truly informed and free-thinking than scrolling through headlines or repeating what you’ve been told. Immanuel Kant, a 17th-century philosopher, famously asked the question: “What is Enlightenment?”

His answer changed the way we think about independence—not just politically or socially, but in our own minds. He called it Sapere Aude, which means, "Dare to Know." It was a call to action: the courage to question the things you’ve been told and find out why you believe what you believe.

Sounds simple, right? Just ask questions, use reason, and you’re enlightened. But here’s a reality check—it’s harder than it sounds.

Why? Because becoming truly enlightened—learning to think critically and independently—means overcoming some pretty serious obstacles: fear, comfort, conformity, and, sometimes, even the fear of punishment for thinking outside the box.

Let’s break Kant's ideas down and explore the challenges that stand between you and the freedom to think for yourself.

Why Enlightenment is Harder Than it Sounds

Kant begins by making a bold statement: Most people live in a kind of “self-imposed immaturity.” What does that mean? In short, most of us are content to let other people do our thinking for us. Whether it’s experts, governments, religious leaders, professors, or even the people we trust most, it’s often easier to let somebody else figure out the complicated stuff and just go along with their conclusions.

This is understandable. There’s a certain comfort in letting others take the lead, especially when it comes to big, important questions like “What’s the meaning of life?” or “What happens after we die?” You’ve probably already heard solid answers to these questions at some point in your life, whether from family, teachers, or culture. Those answers may have provided a sense of security, and questioning them can feel like pulling a thread that threatens to unravel the whole cloth.

Part of the challenge that Kant points out is that fear holds people back from ever fully engaging in independent thought. Here are a few common fears Kant touched on that are still relevant today:

1. Fear of the Unknown:
   Humans are wired to feel uneasy about uncertainty. When the answers we’ve been given start to lose their footing, it can feel like we're drifting in uncharted waters. Some people avoid reasoned thinking simply because they're afraid of what they might find if they start. What if the beliefs they’ve relied on for years don’t hold up? Worse, what if leaving those beliefs behind leaves them without a clear path to follow?
   
2. Fear of Consequences (Real or Imagined):
   Many people are told—from an early age—that questioning certain things could lead to disastrous outcomes. Maybe it’s questioning authority, an institution, or even certain dogmas. There’s often a fear—If I question this belief or idea, will I be judged? Punished? This kind of fear can be enough to prevent people from stepping out of line, mentally or socially—even when they’re no longer convinced by what they've been told.
   
3. Fear of Social Isolation:
   It’s downright uncomfortable to be the person in the room who doesn’t go along with everyone else’s thinking. Imagine you start to question something, but everyone around you holds the same unexamined belief. Adventuring out on your own—diverging from the crowd—can feel incredibly lonely. What if I get it wrong? What if others look at me differently?
   

Why It’s Easier to Follow Than to Lead

Kant recognized something you’ve probably seen in your own life: It’s easier to conform. There’s a reason people often stick with the familiar beliefs and ideas they grew up with—because it’s more comfortable that way. Once we’ve settled into a way of thinking, it’s psychologically easier to just keep going. When you go along with whatever sounds good, whatever everyone else around you believes, you experience less friction and less anxiety.

Think about it. Doubting your assumptions takes mental energy. It’s much simpler, faster, and less stressful to accept the shortcut—“Yep, that must be true, my community says so” or “That’s what that expert said, no need to question it.”

Kant called this “self-imposed immaturity” because it’s kind of like never growing up mentally. Kids let adults do the thinking for them—what to eat, when to go to bed, what’s safe or unsafe. And adults (like it or not) sometimes let "authorities" think for them. But if you want to be a truly independent thinker, you need to exercise those mental muscles.

It’s true, just like physical exercise, thinking critically is harder than simply going with the flow.

Critical Thinking: A Workout for Your Mind

Kant compares enlightenment—the process of learning to think for yourself—to a kind of intellectual maturity. In other words, it involves a mental workout. No different than your body needing to hit the gym in order to get stronger, your brain also needs workouts.

A person who never challenges their mind is like someone who never exercises: their intellectual stamina weakens. It gets easier to rely on others and harder to push back or ask complicated questions. Critical thinking works the same way: it requires effort, discipline, and persistence. But the more you do it, the stronger you get at it.

Like any workout, the first steps can be difficult, even awkward. You might start by questioning a belief and find yourself mentally pushing against years of deeply held ideas or social norms. Think of it like lifting weights for the first time. At first, the bar might feel heavy, but the more reps you do, the stronger you become.

And here’s another cool part—just as with physical exercise, the longer and more consistently you practice critical thinking, the more natural (and even enjoyable) it becomes.

The good news, though? It gets easier with time. And much like how a stronger body can lead to a more active and satisfying life, a stronger mind—one that can sort through complex issues and question what it's told—can lead to incredible personal freedom and empowerment.

The Courage to Think for Yourself

There’s a tricky paradox here, though. Becoming an independent thinker takes courage, but it's incredibly hard to start the process when you’re held back by fear. That’s why Kant emphasized courage in his call for enlightenment. Setbacks and discomfort are inevitable the first time you really start to critically question things, but if you have the courage to push through that initial fear, the rewards are immense.

You begin to see the world more clearly. You start understanding different perspectives. Instead of following blindly, you get to assess arguments, evidence, and claims with a sharper mind.

Maybe you’ll even find new reasons to support what you already believe, but at least you’ll know why you believe it. And that’s the key—whether you stick with your original beliefs or change them, you’ll have taken full ownership of your mind. You’ll have earned it.

Choosing Comfort vs. Choosing Freedom

Kant understood that enlightenment was about freedom—not just political or religious freedom, but mental freedom. The kind of freedom that allows you to question things, evaluate them on your own terms, and either accept or reject ideas based on reason and evidence, not on what authorities or peers tell you to accept.

That kind of freedom takes time and effort, but it's worth it.

The choice, then, is yours:
You can take the comfortable route—letting others think for you, trusting what you’ve always been told, and sticking with what feels easy. Or you can take the free route—stepping into a world that’s more complex but more meaningful, where your mind is your own, and where you walk with confidence through the unknown, knowing that you have the tools to think clearly and critically.

So, ask yourself:
In this New Age of Reason, which route will you take?