For Kant, freedom constitutes humanity. Therefore, it stands at the center of his ethics. A person is free when they autonomously determine their action through reason – independent of external constraints or personal inclinations. Kant emphasizes: freedom exists only when it respects the freedom of all.
The Enlightenment made freedom into a universal ideal. The individual was no longer to be integrated into a traditional community, but to decide freely about his personal, political, and religious life. Today, digital technologies, among other things, are perceived as a threat to our autonomy. Can Kant’s concept show us how to preserve our maturity in the future as well?