"At last free thought acts even on the fundamentals of
government and the state finds it agreeable to treat man, who is now more than
a machine, in accord with his dignity."
Although this whole text opened my view of what makes a minor, as well as how it is we think and understand, the last sentence put it in an applicable scenario for the individual as well as all of society. It brings me to wonder if this is the key to "government for the people and by the people." If we decide to take everything we're told and just go with it, we give government power to do whatever they please. However, if we question and consider things, we are no longer acting as minors; and the way Kant says it, basically, it's only then that we deserve to be treated with the respect and dignity of people who want a say in what's happening in their country.
In some lights, this can make the government seem like the bad guy. Almost like they hope we won't think for ourselves so they can do whatever they want. But if you look at it from the other side, why should we get a say in the happenings of the nation if we don't care enough or are too lazy to use our own understanding in even our own lives?
I agree - Kant redefined for me what a minor really is. He differentiates between a minor and an adult in saying that it is a matter of maturity in a sense that a minor takes in and believes everything they are told, while a non-minor (adult) questions for themselves what they are being taught in order to form their own opinions/understandings.
ReplyDeleteUntil we can understand and form opinions of our own lives, should we be allowed to participate in government, and therefore contribute opinions on how lives should be controlled? -- Interesting question you raised.