AbstractsPhilosophy & Theology

This project examines the question how we are enlightened in today’s society of the Western world. In order to answer this question we have used theories and discussed which will be interpreted through our analysis of our primary literature that consist of Immanuel Kant’s “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment” (1784), Michel Foucault’s “What is Enlightenment” (1984), Horkheimer and Adorno’s “The Dialectics of Enlightenment” (2002) and Yann Moulier Boutang’s “Cognitive Capitalism” (2011). We found it relevant to use more than one philosopher to get a more modern updated perception of enlightenment than Kant’s. This helps illustrating the many ways and contexts the term Enlightenment can be understood in, which we discuss compared to society today. We also take in consideration how to understand history and how we can use it to learn from and progress better in the future. This project does not try to give a certain answer or concrete conclusion but rather seeks to question the current society we live in today and to give a nuanced perception of what enlightenment is.