As the original texts are written in Turkish, English translation is provided for non-Turkish readers. The author apologizes in advance for any and all possible changes and losses in meaning due to translation.
During my high school years our philosophy teacher gave us always a special topic to think about at the death anniversaries of great philosophers. Maybe it is a coincidence that today on February the 12th I recall Emanuel Kant, the great German Philosopher who died 211 years ago today.
His writings on ethics and morale – to improve this world – are as fresh and valid for today as they were 250 years ago. Thinking of the turbulences in our world today, I believe that humans are capable through their thinking and actions to improve this world – I do. But we need, as Kant said, courage to use our Brain. In this case using our Brain to be less self absorbed, to use our Brain to remember what we owe the next generation and to use our Brain to understand that cultural differences – including Religion – is too important a matter to be underestimated (quote Kant). The Kantian approach to ethics suggests that, also we all were born as a part of this nature; we feel however that we reach our full capacity, when we break its laws. We are not satisfied to be just a part of this world, we like to be on top of it and we like to rule the world. For this, the question is what differentiates us humans from any other being. What was it 250 years ago, and what is it today? It is to reject to accept the given as given. For this:
Dare to think! That is Enlightenment.
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