Kant & Twain | japcent

I'm a title. Click here to edit me

18 September 2012

Mark Twain’s Corn-Pone Opinions and Emmanuel Kant’s "What is Enlightenment?"

What does it mean to be enlightened? This seemingly simple question requires a slightly more elaborate answer. For the answer, when understood, will bring questioning upon itself in hopes of being dismissed or owned by the receiver. Such attempt at finding a glimpse of truth on the subject was done by the American author Mark Twain in his writing Corn-Pone Opinions, and the German philosopher Emmanuel Kant in his response to a question published by a newspaper in Berlin. In their own styles and voices they published their opinion and years later people have the privilege of listening to them and contrasting their claims, which raises the question: Do Kant and Twain agree?
Twain spoke of the comfort pursued by humans in their lack of interest when formulating what he defines as original opinions: opinions “coldly reasoned out in a man’s head, by a searching analysis of the facts involved, with the heart unconsulted, and the jury room closed against outside influences”. He mentions that such lack of authentic thought derives from the fact that it is deeply rooted in the nature of human beings to seek acceptance from others. He thought that “in the majority of cases, it is unconscious and not calculated; that it is born of the human being’s natural yearning to stand well with his fellows” and that such yearning “cannot be effectually resisted”.
If such were the case, what worth would there be in dedicating any thought to what is merely a human condition? It’s not inevitable; at the end of his essay Twain subtly reveals a separation in which he punctually describes the habit of producing “corn-pone opinions” as people’s mistaking of feelings for thoughts. This swarm of unreasoned feelings builds Public Opinion, which too often speaks louder than people’s original opinions. According to Twain, individuals emit judgments according to their authorities and social circles, depending on what they find most convenient, most comfortable.
Emmanuel Kant said that to be enlightened a person must use their “own understanding, without the guidance of another.” He explains how people assume roles such as “minors” and “guardians” in a pretense of having certainty upon beliefs. Such certainty is provided from a leader to a follower because individuals are lazy and cowardly. Thinking becomes an “irksome business”, especially in a world where alternatives flourish at a speeding rate. Such system does not permit one to model personal beliefs but rather to adopt some dragged foundation without knowing precisely where it came from or why it was formed. Yet in the beginning of his response Kant offers the tools to escape from this abyss; through the use of courage and diligence.
If one is to grasp the essence of these men’s thought, it is possible to conclude that they both agree on a single perspective: Individuals do not think as such due to their laziness and cowardice. It is simply an easier task to slither under public opinion and suppress authentic beliefs than to risk one’s well being.

Works Cited

1. Doyno, Victor. "Corn-Pone Opinions." Mark Twain Selected Writings of an American Skeptic. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1995. 426-29. Print.

2. Kant’s response to the question: “What is enlightenment?” published in the Berlin Monatsschrift December 1784 Edition.