What is Enlightenment?

[bears clap loud]

There is a reason I put it in the PL forum rather than education and politics discussions.

Immanuel Kant's What is Enlightenment? (http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mgamer/Etexts/kant.html)

What do you all think about "man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity." From your personal experiences, do we live in an age of enlightenment? If not, can we one day live in an "enlightened age"?


Note: This is going to take a much more mature thought than just, "no, everyone on earth sucks and is horrible." But I guess if that's what you think though, tell us why.

[anamericangawd]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

whats up galileo

oh no i haven't emerged from my self-imposed immaturity
just look at my username

[Reaver]

americangawd, wut?

[raychull]

Is this my world religions class? Wut?

[Smash Adams]

baby don't hurt me don't hurt me no more?

[anamericangawd]

americangawd, wut?

joke account

[denissuxx]

undefined

[Brand-new-123]

As long as people say
anal in every PL thread, we are not in an age of enlightenment.

[abcdefghijake]

Note: This is going to take a much more mature thought than just, "no, everyone on earth sucks and is horrible." But I guess if that's what you think though, tell us why.

If you would ever like to get hit in the face, just let me know.

[Rubato]

The notion that we live in an age of enlightenment couldn't be any further from the truth. We live in an age where people are nothing but rabid consumers without care, who do nothing to push the limits of our minds and technologies any further than to make things easier, faster and simpler. Look around you, people no longer even talk face to face, they communicate through 160 character bursts of texts.

We have completely forgotten the notions of spirituality, empathy, sincerity... they're gone, we live in a harsh, faceless society that's rapidly disintegrating into complete and utter ignorance. Just look at mainstream music and television, these are microcosms for our own societies... is THIS what we want to be remembered for? Things like Disney controlling a record label or bullshit like "Owl City" "Soulja Boy", "Brokencyde" or "T-Payne"? These are atrocities, these are downright SHITTY things.

I'm sorry, but if anyone thinks we live in a society that's anything but fucking pathetic, you're just as ignorant and unaware as the rest of the masses. Read Ortega's "Revolt of the Masses" and you'll understand that we are the complete paradigm of a mass-led society. I am disgusted with the modern world on a daily basis and with every passing year I become more and more discontent and disillusioned with everything around me. There's your fucking answer. Kant would be rolling in his grave if he were privy to the present day.

[anamericangawd]

The notion that we live in an age of enlightenment couldn't be any further from the truth. We live in an age where people are nothing but rabid consumers without care, who do nothing to push the limits of our minds and technologies any further than to make things easier, faster and simpler. Look around you, people no longer even talk face to face, they communicate through 160 character bursts of texts.

We have completely forgotten the notions of spirituality, empathy, sincerity... they're gone, we live in a harsh, faceless society that's rapidly disintegrating into complete and utter ignorance. Just look at mainstream music and television, these are microcosms for our own societies... is THIS what we want to be remembered for? Things like "John and Kate Plus 8" or bullshit like "Owl City" or "T-Payne"? These are atrocities, these are downright SHITTY things.

I'm sorry, but if anyone thinks we live in a society that's anything but fucking pathetic, you're just as ignorant and unaware as the rest of the masses. Read Ortega's "Revolt of the Masses" and you'll understand that we are the complete paradigm of a mass-led society. I am disgusted with the modern world on a daily basis and with every passing year I become more and more discontent and disillusioned with everything around me. There's your fucking answer. Kant would be rolling in his grave if he were privy to the present day.

and ill get a thousand hugs from 10 thousad light ning bugs as they try to teach me how to dance

[BalancingacT]

You should know better than to challenge AP.net to think.

[anamericangawd]

You should know better than to challenge AP.net to think.

especially in the pl

[c_j]

Read lost symbol

[Thomas Balkcom]

a question about Kant in PL?

[chassmariee]

anal x2

[bears clap loud]

If you would ever like to get hit in the face, just let me know.


will do

[mm2587]

kant is an idiot. Well actually probably just crazy/autistic but yeah...

[k0d1ak]

More important than if we do or do not live in a true Age of Enlightenment, or how we might reach that, is what an Age of Enlightenment privileges. People are still people, despite how we might try to couch a theory of human progress using notions like civility. What Enlightenment, or even the goal of Enlightenment, does is establish a system of evaluation. Rubato you are off, we are not running retrograde, we have been standing still for ages, the only movement being essentially turning in place to look at one thing or another, what we cherish and what we disdain. Spirituality has lost focus while efficiency has risen. Is this a bad thing? Perhaps, but it is the zeitgeist that keeps us from being able to adequately debate these evaluations.

Or something.

[tawtaw]

Giving a shit about this topic is a waste of time and energy.