Immanuel Kant
German philosopher of the Enlightenment (1724–1804), author of the Critique of Pure Reason.
At a glance
Main ideas
Transcendental idealism, A Copernican turn, The categorical imperative …
See all 5Books to start with
Critique of Pure Reason, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment? …
See all 7Connections
David Hume and Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg in Prussia, and one of the central thinkers of the Enlightenment.
- He spent his whole professional life at the University of Königsberg.
- His Critique of Pure Reason argues that space and time are forms of intuition that structure experience, so we know only appearances, not things in themselves.
- He held that reason is the source of morality and that the categorical imperative binds every rational agent.
- He also wrote on science, aesthetics, religion and politics, including a plan for perpetual peace.
Why it matters
- His work across epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics and political theory makes him one of the most influential and most discussed figures in modern Western philosophy.
Key facts
- Born
- 22 Apr 1724, Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), baptized Emanuel1
- Died
- 12 Feb 1804, Königsberg1
- University
- Enrolled at the University of Königsberg in 1740; licensed to lecture in 1755; professor from 17701
- Science
- Proposed in 1755 that the Solar System formed from a cloud of gas, and that the Milky Way is a disk of stars1
- Geography
- Lectured on it from 1757, one of the first to teach it as its own subject1
- Censorship
- In 1792 the King's censorship commission opposed publishing part of his Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason1
- Married
- Never; he considered marriage twice1
Main ideas
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Transcendental idealism1
Space and time are forms of intuition; we know appearances, not things in themselves.
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A Copernican turn1
Objects of experience conform to the mind's forms and categories, rather than the mind to its objects.
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The categorical imperative1
A moral law that binds every rational agent regardless of their desires.
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Religion grounded in morality1
True religion rests on morality; his exact religious views are disputed.
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Perpetual peace2
Lasting peace could come from an international federation of republican states.
Books to start with
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Critique of Pure Reason1
His central work on knowledge; heavily revised second edition in 1787.
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Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics1
Written as a summary of the first Critique's main views.
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An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?1
His essay on the Enlightenment.
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Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals1
The groundwork of his ethics.
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Critique of Practical Reason1
The second Critique, on moral philosophy.
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Critique of Judgment1
The third Critique, on aesthetics and teleology.
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Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch2
A programme for peace among republics.
Connections
Links
Sources
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