Frederick II.

Frederick II (1712-1786)

F. the Great or Old FritzKing of Prussia 1740-1786Enabled rise of Prussia with the help of

military victoriesEnlightened absolutismMajor reforms in economic, legal,

administrative, agricultural, and military sectors

Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

Author of 3 critiques (Pure Reason, Practical Reason, and Judgment)

Knowledge becomes part of critiqueCategorical Imperative: “Act in such a way

that the underlying principle of your will could also at any time serve as general law.”

G.E. Lessing

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781)

Theatrical director in HamburgMost prominent writer of German

enlightenment (plays, pamphlets, essays)Minna of BarnhelmLaokoönHamburgische Dramaturgie

Enlightenment Concepts

Act according to reason (Sapere aude!)Logical reasoning inherent to human beingProgress, tolerance, equality, freedom of the

individualAccumulation of knowledge, rather than

formation of emotion and characterDenigration of religion in favor of intellectualism

Enlightenment DebateThe Berlin Wednesday Society

J.K.W. Möhsen (1722-1795); “What is to be done toward the Enlightenment of the Citizenry?” (1783)

Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786); “On the Question: What is Enlightenment?” (1784)

Kant essay (1784) K.L. Reinhold (1758-1823); “Thoughts on

Enlightenment” (1784) C.M. Wieland (1733-1813); “A Couple of Gold

Nuggets from the… Wastepaper, or Six Answers to Six Questions” (1789)

Initial Questions (Wieland)

What is enlightenment? Over which objects can and must it extend itself? Where are its limits? What are the safe means through which it is

advanced? Who is authorized to enlighten humanity? By what consequences does one recognize its

truth?