Swaraj as Enlightenment and Vice Versa: Thoughtful Redemption in the Ideas of Immanuel Kant and K.C. Bhattacharya

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the comparative analysis of Immanuel Kant and K.C. Bhattacharya’s contributions to the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and methodology. Numerous significant works have emerged, examining the confluence of these two thinkers’ ideas within these domains. However, an area where their joint study has been notably lacking is in their perspectives on culture, humanism, and civilization. Likewise, while there is an abundance of literature addressing their individual views on enlightenment and Swaraj, there is a dearth of works that explore these topics together. In light of this gap in the existing scholarships, the present paper endeavors to examine Immanuel Kant’s renowned essay “What is Enlightenment?” and K.C. Bhattacharya’s “Swaraj in Ideas” through the lens of comparative philosophy. Similarly, we shall also integrate some of their pertinent ideas in this regard available in their other works. Through this comparative exploration, we aspire to embark on a journey where these two philosophical luminaries can enrich a distinctive philosophy of freedom and redemption. And last but not the least, this intellectual undertaking explicitly reveals that their respective views on Enlightenment and Swaraj can be interchangeably applied for redemptive goals, shedding light on the consistent nature of their ideas.