Immanuel Kant wrote the essay Answering the Question: What Is Enlightenment? in 1784. In it, he described enlightenment as humanity’s emergence from self-imposed immaturity: the ability to use one’s own understanding without depending unquestioningly on authorities.
Kant’s essay appeared in the Berlinische Monatsschrift after a public debate about whether the clergy should continue playing a role in marriage ceremonies. The immediate question was framed by Johann Friedrich Zöllner, a Prussian official, and Kant’s response became the best-known contribution to the discussion.
Its famous motto is “Sapere aude,” usually translated as “Dare to know” or “Have courage to use your own understanding.” Kant distinguished between private and public uses of reason: officials might have duties within an institution, but citizens should be free to reason publicly and criticize existing arrangements.
The essay is often confused with later works about enlightenment by Michel Foucault or with writings by other German philosophers such as Hegel and Fichte. Kant’s short 1784 essay is the canonical source for this title.