Having the courage to use your own reason – this was German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s answer to the question ‘what is Enlightenment?’ over 250 years ago. This question is also the title of the exhibition, which is travelling to the National Museum Zurich from the German Historical Museum and being extended to include perspectives on Swiss Enlightenment history. But its focus is not only on the 18th century. The exhibition does not see the Enlightenment as a closed chapter, but as a historical testing ground to shape a democratic future. 

The debates of the 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers revolved around experimental research, religious tolerance, better education, and freedom and equality. Observing, measuring and experimenting gained in importance, human and civil rights were articulated, and new places for exchange and dialogue cropped up. The exhibition also highlights the contradictions of the Enlightenment. Despite the claim of equality, women were denied equal rights, slavery was only sporadically challenged, and scientific principles were established that later formed the basis of racist theories. 

The exhibition places special emphasis on connections to the Swiss Enlightenment, for example on Alpine research, democratic precursors and on the Helvetic Republic. The exhibition encourages visitors to view the ideas of the Enlightenment not only through a historical lens, but also in terms of their current relevance: what does it take for tolerance, human rights, science and democracy to endure?