Karl Marx And The Enlightenment

“Do not allow yourself to be overawed by traditional beliefs and institutions. Slavish regard for the past prevents society from achieving a happier future.” Is a strong statement that would trigger an opinionated response from almost anyone especially if you ask any of these three great thinkers. Although it is impossible to predict their exact response to such a question by looking at their writings and other historical texts related to them one could could create a general idea of what their reply would be. Making the assumption based on the historical opinions and beliefs of these thinker it is not unreasonable to assume that Karl Marx, Immanuel Kant, and to lesser a degree Herbert Spencer would concur with the above statement.
Karl …show more content…
Which people accept simply because it is easier to. In his essay “What is Enlightenment?” Kant discusses the roles of guardians in society as those who take advantage of man’s fear and laziness to think for him “ If I have a book which provides meaning for me, a pastor who has a conscience for me, a doctor who will judge my diet for me and so on, then I do not need to exert myself. I do not have any need to think.”() according to Kant by allowing these guardians to control our lives they attempt to make the step into “maturity” seem difficult and dangerous utlmail tely infusing enough fear within people so that they mindlessly obey without question. Kant argues that to question things is necessary for man to achieve maturity and that to question things and use free thought is the most basic freedom of man Kant criticizes all institutions that attempt to prevent this and only encourage obedience “ Don 't argue! The officer says: Don’t argue, drill! The tax collector: Don’t argue, pay! The pastor: Don’t argue, believe!... Here we have restrictions on freedom everywhere. Which restriction is hampering enlightenment , and which does not, or even promotes it? I answer: the public use of a man’s reason must be free at all times, and this alone can bring enlightenment among men….”() This criticism and encouragement …show more content…
Making him strongly in favor of republicanism “The Republican form of government is the highest form of government...”() and he often vocalized his disdain for the concept of monarchy “Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost.”() So although Spencer was against the idea of government intervention he was not necessarily in favor of traditional institutions but instead was more interested in creating a society he viewed as truly free in other words his concept of the apex humanity a laissez- faire meritocracy socially but not economically