Immanuel Kant e a questão do esclarecimento: contribuições para o ensino de filosofia

Abstract

The research entitled “Immanuel Kant and the Question of Enlightenment: Contributions to the Teaching of Philosophy” investigates how Kantian thought, especially the concept of enlightenment (Aufklärung), can contribute to the formation of autonomous and critical students in Philosophy education. The study begins with the observation of contemporary difficulties related to the development of intellectual autonomy, frequently compromised by the passive use of digital technologies. The methodological procedures were based on action research, with the ideas of Immanuel Kant as a theoretical foundation. Active methodologies such as the flipped classroom within a didactic sequence were used. The work revisits Kant's biography and his main philosophical concepts, highlighting autonomy as the foundation of morality and rational action. In the pedagogical field, the study presents the Kantian conception of education divided into stages: discipline, skills development, social prudence, and moralization. This research discusses the context of Philosophy Education in Brazil, highlighting legal advances and setbacks resulting from the High School Reform and the BNCC (National Common Core Curriculum), which weaken the discipline by reducing its curricular centrality. It presents a critical analysis of official education documents (PCNs, BNCC, and PNE), revealing contradictions between the discourse of autonomous education and content-based and technocratic educational practices. The research emphasizes the importance of the teacher as a mediator of critical thinking, not merely a transmitter of content, aligning itself with Paulo Freire's ideas on liberating education. The results of the pedagogical investigation showed that the implementation of active methodologies significantly contributed to the development of critical thinking and student autonomy, evidenced by increased participation, critical expression, and argumentation skills. This confirms the effectiveness of Philosophy teaching, grounded in Kantian ethics of enlightenment, as an instrument of intellectual and moral emancipation. It is concluded that Kantian philosophy offers a solid foundation for rethinking educational practices that value autonomy, the critical use of reason, and the integral formation of the individual, contrasting with current technocratic trends. Philosophy teaching must be strengthened to guarantee the emancipatory process, contributing to the formation of conscious, free, and responsible citizens.