Iâd never heard this before today but stumbled across it.
It originates with the Latin poet Horace, but was taken up by Immanuel Kant in response to the challenge: âWhat is the Enlightenment?â Usually itâs translated as âDare to knowâ; the sapere part means âTo knowâ (think sapient pearwood in Terry Pratchett) and aude as in âaudacityâ). In Latin word order didnât matter (much); which is why it (misleadingly) looks like âTo dare, knowâ in English.Â
Thereâs the background. What do you think? Should we dare to know? What is the alternative?