The power of reason is another theme in tnhis book. The Power of Reason Immanuel Kant in his seminal, "What is Enlightenment?" argues that the primary characteristic of the enlightenment is the primacy of reason in all human affairs. Enlightenment, Kant argues, is a type of spiritual and philosophical maturity where we realize that only reason can be our masters and we see that we must subjugate our passions and our religion to the force of reason. Kant also argues, however, that while all things should be subject to rational inquiry, pure reason has limited power in some domains.