What Is a Well Spent Semester? Essay

The basic purpose of college is education. The author refers to Thomas Jefferson’s “The basis of our government is the opinion of the people.” to emphasize how educated citizenry affects the government, and then indicates the importance of the college. For using the importance of critical thinking to argue his thesis, he states the current situation of the general people, who are exposed with “pleadings and persuasions” every day and need to “tell the difference between demagoguery and responsible arguments.” (Delbanco 507) As a person living in the current world, it is really deceptive to tell true or false. Therefore, the ability of critical thinking is so important to master and then college still matters as it can train people critically thinking. Then, for the free thinking, he mentions the book Education’s End of Kronman, the former Yale dean, which includes, “the ideals of individual freedom and toleration,” “a reliance on markets as a mechanism for the organization of economic life,” and “an acceptance of the truths of modern science.” The author uses good “ethos” of other person with authoritative support to demonstrate the significance of free thinking. As our world is multicultural and everyone is unique, every certain person should accept others’ culture and concepts with free thinking. For the last part, endless thinking, how does the author take advantages of this? “One of the marks of an educated person is the recognition that it can never be adequately done and is therefore all the more worth doing.” (Delbanco 508) As a student in the college, I am convinced in this point. An educated person will be never fulfill with the knowledge he gets so far, so we have educated since the youth, how can we stop learning and vanish one of our nature – curiosity, which

In today’s society, education has shifted the way in how one thinks, making a basis were they acquire everyone in a classroom to grasp the knowledge being presented to them at the same pace. Those that are unsuccessful to comprehend in the way that was instructed to them are viewed upon as the most needed and deficient. Having a structured way in how one should apprehend certain information, sets barriers in the process of thinking. It prevents the mind to think of other solutions, and to stick to the certain idea.

Immanuel Kant is widely-regarded as one of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of all time, with his teachings having more influence on other contemporary thinkers than any other philosopher of the 18th century. Fighting against the governmental and monarchical constraints of the time, Kant began his work by maintaining that all humans are free beings, who out to think autonomously, free from the dictates of external authority (SEP, 2011, pp.1). Kant

This quote demonstrates a departure from Kant’s idea that enlightenment is entirely dependent on the individual. Mill praises the importance of

For most people, to figure out who someone is and why they think the way they do, one has to step in to the other’s shoes to see who they are. Immanuel Kant was born into Pietism and was raised on traditional Lutheran values of humility and divine grace.3 He attended Collegium Frierician in Konigsberg, Russia, as a child then, later, attended the University of Konigsberg. He studied classics but, eventually, found interest in philosophy.3 When his mother passed, he was only thirteen, and his father died when he was twenty-two.3 Eventually, Kant left school and started working as a tutor for several families where he lived.3 As time passed, he found himself teaching Privatdozent at the University until he was forty-six.3 He also attained the position of a professor of logic and metaphysics.3

I just can’t believe there is only few more days of high school left. As the days are getting closer and closer, it's getting sad. I still remember the day I stepped into Maine East High School as a Freshman, at that time, all I wished for was to graduate from this school with good grades. High school was not the way I imagined, it is way different from what I thought and definitely different from Middle School. Freshman year was the “exploring/adventure” year, finding where each classes were, what activities/clubs were offered at this school and many more. Freshman year went quickly and then Sophomore year came up. Sophomore year was probably the least stressful year in high school but from Sophomore year my family and friends started asking me the scariest question “What are you doing after high school, which career?

In the late eighteenth century, with the publication of his theories on morality, Immanuel Kant revolutionized philosophy in a way that greatly impacted the decades of thinkers after him. The result of his influence led to perceptions and interpretations of his ideas reflected in the works of writers all around the world. Kant’s idealism stems from a claim that moral law, a set of innate rules within each individual, gives people the ability to reason, and it is through this that people attain truth. These innate rules exist in the form of maxims: statements that hold a general truth. Using this, Kant concluded with the idea of autonomy, in which all rational human wills are autonomous, each

“The motto of the Enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding.” (Kant 54). Most have no understanding that Kant says because they weren’t given the sense to use their own understanding. I feel that Kant dares us to have courage because when he discovered his own understanding he felt a sense of greatness and accomplishment. Kant gives us some encouragement to think beyond the box because he knows that if he can do great things that everyone has the potential to do great things also. “…others will soon enough take the tiresome job over me. The guardians who have kindly taken upon themselves the work of supervision will soon see to it that by far the largest part of mankind should consider the step forward to maturity not only as difficult but also as highly dangerous.” (Kant 54). Thinking controls the mass chaos that could ruin society, yet we only have a few individuals who are truly original thinkers. Others pretend to be true thinker but in true are re-readers. For those of society who are not true thinkers stepping out of immaturity is a dangerous step to themselves and the ones around them. Most aren’t prepared to step out of their comfort zone because they never were meant to or prepared. The “guardians” have double

Enlightenment, a stage in life where one should strive for. According to the text “What is Enlightenment” written by Immanuel Kant, enlightenment is “Sapere aude!” (Kant 105), which translates to “dare to know.” One reached enlightenment once they have achieved maturity and freedom. Throughout Immanuel Kant’s work “What is Enlightenment,” (Kant 105) he suggested that mankind developed a dependency on others for answers. Immanuel Kant believed that humankind is lazy and full of cowardice. Kant believed that humans depend too much on others by basing their decisions and thoughts solely on the words of others. Due to dependency, humankind developed a habit of laziness throughout time. This habit eventually serves as the main barrier prohibiting one from being enlightened because one is too lazy to seek the truth or oneself. Kant suggested that in order to each enlightenment, one must not be afraid to take the first step and use one’s own judgment and understanding. One must separate oneself from immaturity, and to achieve that, one must have fearlessness and vigor. Kant also speaks of freedom and suggested that one should have the freedom to express their opinion and act on it, one should be able to criticize what is wrong and change it.

In this paper I will be talking about the article “What is Enlightenment” by Immanuel Kant. In this paper I will be answering the question that was given at the end of the article. I will talk about what enlightenment and what it entails. What tutelage is according to Kant? Also explain what Kant thought about the subject. What are the conditions for the gradual spread of enlightenment in the community? These are some of the questions that I will be answering in the essay and also give my opinion of the article.

The best summary of Kant's view of Enlightenment lies in the first paragraph of his essay "An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?": Sapere Aude. Translated 'dare to know,' the phrase "is the motto of enlightenment." For Kant, enlightenment means rising from the self-imposed stupor which substitutes obedience for reason and which atrophies man's ability to think for himself and develop his natural capacities. Laziness and cowardice prevent man from enlightening himself, an activity which becomes harder over time since man becomes comfortable and content in his stupor. Likening mankind to livestock, Kant cites the army officer, the pastor, and the physician as guardians who paralyze man's

In addition to the social aspects, college teaches how to develop independent thinking. It also “exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing” (Menand, 3). However, most students today perceive college fundamentally as a party scene and various forms of entertainment instead of focusing on school work. They have forgotten about the academic freedom provided by receiving a proper college education.

In his essay Kant clearly explains the difference between and enlightened age and an age of enlightenment. In an enlightened age we would all be religious without clergymen because we would know to which things we should be obedient or disobedient. In this age there would be elimination of self-incurred immaturity. During the age of enlightenment we are making the progress towards using both kinds of reasoning. Incompetence is not using pubic and private use of reason in balance with one another. Competence is the balance of both public and private use of reason. We must know how to determine when it is right to obey and right to argue. In terms of government obedience it is often necessary, but any effort to hinder the public's free use of reason should be forbidden. In Kant's essay "What is Enlightenment?," he shows the transition for the age of enlightenment to the enlightened age. It enables the people to become more like the guardian and managers of their own freedom.

Freshman year, the year of many first; the first time living away from home, the first time being away from friends, the first time a student has control of their own learning. Freshman year requires a lot of discipline, but a lot of students do not possess this trait. The factors that contribute to the success of first year college students are social support, comfort within the college environment, self control,responsibiliy and positive self concept.

People have ignored the importance of education in one's life nowadays. They give too much emphasis on the grade that they will get and not on the wisdom that they will obtain from it. We must realize that the grades does not exactly determine how well we have learn but it is through experience where we learn most. For example, a person learns how to love oneself more when one experience pain and suffering. A person becomes stronger when it faces different challenges in his life. Hence, experience is the basis of the level of knowledge and it is the ultimate judgment on a person's level.