[December 2003 journal entry]
Kant answered the question “What is ‘enlightenment’?” (see his essay by that title) by appealing to the ‘come of age’ metaphor. At some point across the continuum from infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, an individual is expected to ‘come of age’ and is considered responsible (and accountable) for his/her actions. The relationship between parent and child evolves across this continuum. The child becomes increasingly independent. The parent’s control (‘sovereignty’) and accountability diminish. The parent’s beneficent instincts should be restrained as the self-determining child matures toward the point of making decisions about his/her life. Kant extended such observations about individuals to ‘enlightened’ societies and cultures as well.
