Biography of Immanuel Kant
Uploaded by xsparklyvix (1188) on Sep 5, 2005 |
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A Biography for Immanuel Kant
(1724-1804)
Immanuel Kant was born in Konigsberg, Russia on April 22nd 1724. From a young age he attended a school devoted to the tenets of Pietism (a 17th century evangelical movement) devoted on bible study and personal religious experience. His Mother had no education and devoted her life to God and her family, his father supported her on the little wages he earned from making saddles. In 1740, at the age of sixteen, he enrolled in the University of Koningsberg. He developed a passion for physics and mathematics from a child and continued an in-depth study of these at University. His father died in 1742, which resulted in Kant being forced to drop out of education and become a private tutor to support himself. In 1755, he received financial aid from a friend and continued his education. He obtained a doctorate and became a professor at the institution teaching in mathematics and science for the following fifteen years. Throughout this time he attended a number of lectures by other members of staff in the field of philosophy and eventually began to teach this subject also soon thereafter.
Kant began to attract students from all over the world, intrigued by his ideas and concepts of philosophy. He gained national recognition due to his concepts of morality, his idea of the categorical imperative and his description of the autonomy of will. He worked towards making philosophy a scientific concept, that knowledge is also a matter of human reason. Kant lectured on the issue of the existence of God. Agreeing with Hume that no rational argument of the ‘pure reason’ form could be given for God’s existence but however, he proposed that ‘practical reason’ could. Kant believed that in observing moral instincts of people, through the eyes of faith we can see a source behind the mere human will itself that directs life.
Kant lived his life in a studious nature, he never married and rarely socialised. He was well regarded as polite and graciousness but rarely adventurous as he never ventured out of his home town. His lifestyle was very regular, he took a walk each day at 4.30pm walking 8 times up and down his street before returning home.
Kant began to publish books relating his ideas and concepts on philosophy. In 1785 he published a book entitled ‘Metaphysics of Morals’ and later in 1788. He published his most famous book ‘The critique of practical reason’. By the time he died on February 13th, 1804 had published ten books in his name and spread his views on philosophy throughout the world. |
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