Immanuel Kant Biography

(1724–1804)

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher during the

Enlightenment era of the late 18th century. His best
NAME known work is the Critique of Pure Reason.
Immanuel Kant
BIRTH DATE Synopsis
April 22, 1724
Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in Konigsberg, Prussia, or what
DEATH DATE is now Kaliningrad, Russia. While tutoring, he published science papers,
February 12, including "General Natural History and Theory of the Heavens" in 1755. He
1804 spent the next 15 years as a metaphysics lecturer. In 1781, he published the
rst part of Critique of Pure Reason. He published more critiques in the
PLACE OF BIRTH
years preceding his death on February 12, 1804, in the city of his birth.
Konigsburg (now
Kaliningrad), Early Life
Prussia (now
Russia) Immanuel Kant was the fourth of nine children born to Johann Georg Cant, a
harness maker, and Anna Regina Cant. Later in his life, Immanuel changed
PLACE OF DEATH
the spelling of his name to Kantto to adhere to German spelling practices.
Konigsburg (now Both parents were devout followers of Pietism, an 18th-century branch of
Kaliningrad), the Lutheran Church. Seeing the potential in the young man, a local pastor
Prussia (now arranged for the young Kant's education. While at school, Kant gained a
Russia) deep appreciation for the Latin classics.

In 1740, Kant enrolled at the University of Konigsberg as a theology student,

but was soon attracted to mathematics and physics. In 1746, his father died and he was forced to leave the
university to help his family. For a decade, he worked as a private tutor for the wealthy. During this time he
published several papers dealing with scienti c questions exploring the middle ground between rationalism
and empiricism.

Full-Fledged Scholar and Philosopher

In 1755, Immanuel Kant returned to the University of Konigsberg to continue his education. That same year he
received his doctorate of philosophy. For the next 15 years, he worked as a lecturer and tutor and wrote
major works on philosophy. In 1770, he became a full professor at the University of Konigsberg, teaching
metaphysics and logic.

In 1781, Immanuel Kant published the Critique of Pure Reason, an enormous work and one of the most
important on Western thought. He attempted to explain how reason and experiences interact with thought
and understanding. This revolutionary proposal explained how an individual’s mind organizes experiences
into understanding the way the world works.
Kant focused on ethics, the philosophical study of moral actions. He proposed a moral law called the
“categorical imperative,” stating that morality is derived from rationality and all moral judgments are rationally
supported. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong; there is no grey area. Human beings are
obligated to follow this imperative unconditionally if they are to claim to be moral.

Later Years

Though the Critique of Pure Reason received little attention at the time, Kant continued to re ne his theories
in a series of essays that comprised the Critique of Practical Reason and Critique of Judgement. Kant
continued to write on philosophy until shortly before his death. In his last years, he became embittered due to
his loss of memory. He died in 1804 at age 80.

Citation Information
Article Title
Immanuel Kant Biography

Author
Biography.com Editors

Website Name
The Biography.com website

URL
https://www.biography.com/scholar/immanuel-kant

Access Date
29 July 2019

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
April 16, 2019

Original Published Date BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY

April 2, 2014
Jean-Jacques Marie Sallé
MAVEN

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