Translation – KANT.

Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred, not if its cause is a lack of understanding, but rather a lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The motto of the enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding!

Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why such a large proportion of mankind, even when nature has long emancipated them from alien guidance (naturaliter maiorennes), nonetheless gladly remain immature for life. It is for these same reasons that it is so easy for others to set themselves up as their guardians. It is so convenient to be immature! If I have a book to have understanding in my place, a spiritual advisor to have a conscience for me, a doctor to judge my diet for me, and so on, then I need not make any efforts at all. I need not think, as long as I can just pay; others will readily take over the tiresome job for me, won’t they? The guardians who have kindly taken on the job of supervising will soon see to it that by far the largest part of mankind (including the entire fairer sex) should consider the step to maturity not only as difficulty but also as extremely dangerous. Having first infatuated their domesticated animals and carefully prevented the docile creatures from daring to take a single step outside of the walking frame in which they are enclosed, they then show them the danger that threatens them if they try to walk unaided. Now this danger is in fact so great at all, for they would probably eventually learn to walk anyway after a few falls. Yet such an example is intimidating and usually scares them away from making any further attempts.

It is therefore difficult for each separate individual to work his way out of the immaturity that has become almost second nature to him. He has even grown