Kant And Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

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Boundless limitations existed in society, which in turn caused inequality, a lack of freedom and inferiority to occur. Immanuel Kant (2016) explores and deconstructs the notion of enlightenment in ‘An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?” by claiming that people with power cause fear in others, which has created a society that has restrictions and rules to control and ‘guide’ the general public. On the other hand, Mary Wollstonecraft (2016) highlights the inferior status that has been imposed upon women by those with power, which she further emphasizes in ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’. Although, both authors have clearly demonstrated their perspectives on freedom, there is a dissimilar concept they both debate upon throughout their respective texts. Fear can be a powerful limiter that restricts one …show more content…

The notion of constriction is evident throughout Kant and Wollstonecraft’s text as they discuss the psychological confinement people are placed in. Kant thoroughly explores the ‘immaturity’ of men that causes them to cower away and instinctively listen to authoritative individuals. He claims that it is difficult for men to escape immaturity because this has become a part of their “nature”, “fondness of this state” and incapability of acting freely without guidance (p.g 2,reader). Contrastingly, Wollstonecraft discusses the inequality women faced in society because of the perception. She further suggests that women can only be free from inequality if they are given the chance to receive proper education, which would deject the inferior perceptions that were imposed upon them. Although these writers individually represent a case of confinement throughout their respective texts, they both portray an idea of challenging a predicament that particular people

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