In this essay I will analyze and demonstrate the importance of Immanuel Kant’s What is
Enlightenment, Charles S Peirce’s The Fixation of Belief, and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self
Reliance, in the scholar’s study of Religion. Religion is a complex topic to discuss and learn
about. The question “What is religion?” has multiple answers with various perspectives and
reasoning. These particular essays play a prerequisite part in the study of Religion for they give
scholars the foundation to studying the tortuous topic of Religion.
Before we can study society and religion, we must first assess ourselves. Philosopher Immanuel
Kant wrote the brilliant essay titled “What is Enlightenment?” in 1784 that was published in the
Berlin Monthly. The essay begins with the answer to the question stating Enlightenment is when
an individual emerges themselves from “self-imposed nonage (Immanuel Kant)”. Nonage is the
inability for one to think for themselves because they rely heavily on guidance. From the minute
a human is born into the world, they have to succumb to the influence and guidance of parents,
physicians, teachers, church members, media, and peers. The reason it is called self- imposed
nonage is because one can easily try to enlighten themselves, however, they decide to be lazy
and continue to rely on the tutelage of others who are also unenlightened themselves. Another
component of the societal disease, “self- imposed nonage”, is the factor of fear. As seen in
history, when one steps out of societal standard boundaries, there tends to be serious
consequences and repercussions.
Kant further explains the comfort of self imposed nonage. It is easier to pay someone to tell you
what to eat, what to do, and what to think. For example, people will pay thousands of dollars for
a doctor to assess their health and to refer them to diets and treatments. Without hesitation
individuals will follow as prescribed, without doing any research. This can result in a major
backlash. My Aunt Carlene was a victim of misdiagnosis. She was a healthy individual in her
early 30’s. One day she began to suffer major headaches that were reoccuring and excruciating.
She was rushed to the hospital and assessed by doctors. The doctors claimed that they ran several
tests and did not find anything wrong with her physically or neurologically. Doctors claimed she
was suffering a mental meltdown and enrolled her into the psychiatric ward. She was released
several days after with no treatment and still remained in pain. Three days after, she passed
away. In the autopsy the forensic pathologist discovered that she was suffering from the
neurological disease meningitis. With further investigation, we found out the doctors failed to do
a Computer Tomography scan which would have exemplified the disease. With such discovery,
