Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points - Essay Example He is particularly renowned for his fourteen points that developed a basis to the end of the war and the post World War I era. This paper explores the success Woodrow’s fourteen points and the points’ achievements. Overview of Woodrow’s fourteen points Woodrow’s fourteen points was a proclamation towards the end of the First World War. Having come just a few months away from the ultimate end of the war and their provisions that aimed at attaining a peaceful world indicate significance of the points in the consequently achieved peace. The fourteen points’ principles can be explored in three categories. The first category, consisting of initial five points, was general and concerned â€Å"international liberalism and free trade† (Rossini and Shugaar, p. 63). The points included a public approach to agreements towards international peace as opposed to private treaties, provision for freedom of navigation across international waters, elimination of trade barriers and equality in international trade, and appeal for disarmament. He also called for fair distribution of colonies (Yale, p. 1). Points that called for resolution of disputes over some territories followed these.

Read and Respond to (IMMANUEL KANT) What is Enlightenment Research Paper

Read and Respond to (IMMANUEL KANT) What is Enlightenment - Research Paper Example Kant describes enlightenment as â€Å"Man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity† (Kant 1784), where immaturity essentially refers to an individual’s inability to use their own understanding in actions and instead depend on tutelage or guidance from others. Kant explains that this immaturity is self-imposed due to â€Å"lack of resolve to use it without guidance from another† (1784). He argues that the guardians who are depended upon by the unenlightened are keen to ensure that matters remain this way hence discourage their dependants through indicating that lack of their guidance will lead to danger. The guardians have been quite successful at discouraging maturity and enlightenment of the populace that only a few individuals have been able to become enlightened â€Å"by cultivating their own minds, in freeing themselves from immaturity and pursuing a secure course† (1784). However, Kant argues that enlightenment is inevitable and that the wo rld heads toward it with each age. He identifies two forms of freedom of using one’s reason as determinants of enlightenment whether public and private. Only public reasoning can succeed in bringing about enlightenment although holders of office and other individuals can privately reason and still publicly defend the symbols they represent. Kant uses the rest of his work to showcase that nothing can stand in the way of enlightenment, not religion, authority or even society itself. He also argues that we are not living in an enlightened age but rather in the age of enlightenment which translates to the gateway to enlightenment. A central theme in Kant’s work is that rational autonomy is achievable in the society albeit slowly; â€Å"But that the public should enlighten itself is more likely; indeed, if it is only allowed freedom, enlightenment is almost inevitable† (1784). He presents the view that enlightenment of the entire society is