Abstract

Although it encompassed a variety of positions, the Enlightenment was unified by the common belief that reason could transcend contingency to establish universal “truths” and thus guarantee progress. Yet for much of the Enlightenment, reason was still dependent on prior sources for its authoritative claims, e.g., nature or natural law, human desires, or interests. Kant broke with this by insisting that reason had to be “autonomous” if it was to claim unconditional authority. In this reformulation of the Enlightenment's concept of reason, Kant argued that reason must subject itself to constant self-criticism, so as to determine the limits of its own authority and thereby provide the basis of its own legitimacy.