Kant+background

Immanuel Kant was born in 1724 in Konigsberg, East Prussia. He was the son of a craftsman. His parents hoped he would study theology at the Collegium Fridericianum but Kant's interest was in classics, which he studied for eight years. In 1740, aged 16, Kant went to study philosophy at the University of Konigsberg. It is claimed that he never travelled more than a hundred miles from his home town. His family was deeply religious and his parents taught a literal translation of the bible which focused on humility. His education from his parents did not place much importance on subjects like science and maths.

He wrote on a wide range of topics from metaphysics and epistemology, religion, morals and ethics, rationality, perception politics and aesthetics. Some people state that Kant did not begin to produce important works until he was in his fifties, although this claim is refuted. What is widely accepted is that Kant was very influential both in his life time and to this day, especially in terms of philosophy and scientific study.

Immanuel Kant died in 1804.

[|Immanuel Kant in Encyclopedia Britannica]

Kant's early work, published during the 1760s, generally consisted of criticisms of the works of Wolff, Leibniz, and Descartes. It was after1781-1790 when he had written his major works, that he was forbidden to publish further work on religious subjects, after he had raised the suspicion of the Prussian censor with his publication Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone (1794). It is said that Kant's critical and transcendental method transformed philosophy and that it is now the starting point for philosophers today. His work has influenced Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Rawls and Chomsky. (Rorty //The Many Faces of Philosophy//)

Before Kant, during the 17th and much of the 18th century, Western philosophy was divided between two opposing schools -- British empiricism (eg. Locke) and Continental rationalism (eg. Descartes). The main opposing issue being whether or not human beings can acquire important knowledge of reality by the use of our minds alone -- by thinking. The rationalists believed so, but the empiricists denied this, instead believing in experience being the source of knowledge. It was Kant's work that unified these two opposing schools. (Magee //The Great Philosophers//)