雙語散文:啓蒙
What Is Enlightenment
Enlightenment is man's leaving his self-caused immaturity. Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another.
Such immaturity is self-caused if it is not caused by lack of intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one's intelligence without being guided by another. Have the courage to use your own intelligence! is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.
Through laziness and cowardice a large part of mankind, even after nature has freed them from alien guidance, gladly remain immature. It is because of laziness and cowardice that it is so easy for others to usurp the role of guardians. It is so comfortable to be a minor! If I have a book which provides meaning for me, a pastor who has conscience for me, a doctor who will judge my diet for me and so on, then I do not need to exert myself. I do not have any need to think; if I can pay, others will take over the tedious job for me. The guardians who have kindly undertaken the supervision will see to it that by far the largest part of mankind, including the entire "beautiful sex," should consider the step into maturity, not only as difficult but as very dangerous.
After having made their domestic animals dumb and having carefully prevented these quiet creatures from daring to take any step beyond the lead-strings to which they have fastened them, these guardians then show them the danger which threatens them, should they attempt to walk alone. Now this danger is not really so very great; for they would presumably learn to walk after some stumbling. However, an example of this kind intimidates and frightens people out of all further attempts.
It is difficult for the isolated individual to work himself out of the immaturity which has become almost natural for him. He has even become fond of it and for the time being is incapable of employing his own intelligence, because he has never been allowed to make the attempt. Statues and formulas, these mechanical tools of a serviceable use, or rather misuse, of his natural faculties, are the ankle-chains of a continuous immaturity. Whoever threw it off would make an uncertain jump over the smallest trench because he is not accustomed to such free movement. Therefore there are only a few who have pursued a firm path and have succeeded in escaping from immaturity by their own cultivation of the mind.
But it is more nearly possible for a public to enlighten itself: this is even inescapable if only the public is given its freedom. For there will always be some people who think for themselves, even among the self-appointed guardians of the great mass who, after having thrown off the yoke of immaturity themselves, will spread about them the spirit of a reasonable estimate of their own value and of the need for every man to think for himself...
A public can only arrive at enlightenment slowly. Through revolution, the abandonment of personal despotism may be engendered and the end of profit-seeking and domineering oppression may occur, but never a true reform of the state of mind. Instead, new prejudices, just like the old ones, will serve as the guiding reins of the great, unthinking mass.
All that is required for this enlightenment is freedom; and particularly the least harmful of that may be called freedom, namely, the freedom for man to make public use of his reason in all matters. But I hear people clamor on all sides: Don't argue! The officer says: Don't argue, drill! The tax collector: Don't argue, pay! The pastor: Don't argue, believe!... Here we have restrictions on freedom everywhere. Which restriction is hampering enlightenment, and which does not, or even promotes it? I answer: The public use of a man's reason must be free at all times, and this alone can bring enlightenment among men....
The question may now be put: Do we live at present in an enlightened age? The answer is: No, but in an age of enlightenment. Much still prevents men from being placed in a position to use their own minds securely and well in matters of religion. But we do have very definite indications that this field of endeavor is being opened up for men to work freely and reduce gradually the hindrances preventing a general enlightenment and an escape from self-caused immaturity.
啓蒙乃是人脫離其自我導致的不成熟狀態。不成熟狀態就是沒有他人引導便無法使用自己的理智。如果不是因爲缺少理智，而是因爲在無人引導時缺少使用自己理智的決心和勇氣，那麼此種不成熟狀態就是自我導致的。因此，“敢於運用你自己的理智！”就是啓蒙的座右銘。
由於懶惰與懦弱，人類的很大一部分在大自然把他們從外界的引導下釋放出來後，依然甘願處於不成熟狀態。正因爲懶惰與懦弱，別人便得以輕而易舉地以看護人自居。做未成年人是多麼安逸！假如有書本爲我釋疑解惑，有牧師爲我提供良知，有醫生爲我鑑別食譜，如此等等，那麼我自己便不必勞神費力。我沒有任何思考的必要；假如我能夠支付報酬，別人會接替我那份乏味的苦差事。那些好心承擔了監督任務的看護人將確保包括所有女性在內的人類的最大多數，把走向成熟看作不僅是困難的，而且是非常危險的。
這些看護人首先使他們的溫馴的動物們保持沉默，並小心翼翼地防止這些安靜的奴才們膽敢邁出繮繩所許可的範圍一步，然後便展示給他們看試圖獨自行走將面臨的危險。事實上這種危險並不那麼可怕，因爲在跌倒幾次後他們很可能就學會了走路。但是，這種失敗的例子使人們望而生畏，不敢做任何進一步的嘗試。
對於孤立的個人來說，想要掙脫那幾乎已成爲自己天性的不成熟狀態是困難的。他甚至愛上了這種狀態，而且眼下他也沒有能力使用自己的理智，因爲他從未被容許去做這樣的嘗試。法則、公理這類與其說利用還不如說誤用其天賦的機械工具，是持久不成熟狀態的腳鐐。 任何拋棄腳鐐的人連最小的溝坎都無法穩步跨過，因爲他已不習慣這樣自由地移動。因此，只有少數幾個人能通過修煉自己的心智，探索出一條堅固的道路，併成功逃離不成熟狀態。
然而，公衆要啓蒙自己卻是更有可能的：可以說只要給予公衆自由，這甚至是不可避免的；因爲即便是在那些以大衆看護人自居的人們當中，總會有一些獨立思考的人，他們在自己擺脫不成熟狀態的桎梏之後，便會向周圍傳播一種精神，既合理評估他們自身的價值，又激勵每一個人開展獨立思考。……
大衆只能緩慢地達到啓蒙。通過革命，可以剷除個人的專制統治，可以結束貪婪與霸道的壓迫，但卻決不可能帶來思想狀態的真正革新。相反，新的偏見就像舊的偏見一樣，會成爲引導那些沒有思想的芸芸衆生的繮繩。
啓蒙所要求的唯一條件就是自由，尤其是所有自由中最無害的那種，即人在任何問題上公開運用理性的自由。可是我卻處處聽到人們大聲呵斥：不許爭辯！軍官說：不許爭辯，操練！稅吏說：不許爭辯，交錢！牧師說：不許爭辯，相信！…… 到處都是對自由的限制。那麼，到底哪一種限制會妨礙啓蒙，哪一種不會或甚至促進啓蒙呢？我的回答是：對人的理性的公開運用在任何時候都必須是自由的，而這就足以給人們帶來啓蒙。……
於是人們可能要問：我們現在是否生活在一個已經啓蒙的時代？答案是否定的：我們正處於啓蒙時代。依然有許多障礙使人們不能在宗教問題上安全有效地使用自己的大腦。不過，的確有種種清晰的跡象表明，此一努力的領域正在被打開，以便人們自由地探索，從而逐步減少那些阻止普遍啓蒙與擺脫自我導致之不成熟狀態的障礙。
