Bio Sketch for Immanuel Kant
Kerry Keith Murdock
8/24/10
I. Life
A. Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724.
B. Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, Prussia, the capital of the time. Today it is known now as Kaliningrad, Russia.
C. Childhood factors
1. Although he was the fourth in a family of eleven children only four of them grew to maturity.
2. He was given the name “Emanuel” but he changed it to “Immanuel” after he learned Hebrew.
3. He never traveled no farther than a hundred miles from his home town of Königsberg. His ideals, however, have encompassed the globe.
4. Kant's grandfather had originally emigrated from Scotland to East Prussia, and his father, Johann Georg Kant, still spelled their family name “Cant.”
5. Like Einstein, Kant was an unspectacular student in his youth. His household stressed intense religious devotion, personal humility, and a literal interpretation of the Bible. Consequently, Kant received a stern education – strict, punitive, and disciplinary – that preferred Latin and religious instruction over mathematics and science.
D. Adult family info
1. An old story states that Kant’s neighbors used to set their clocks by his daily walks, indicating that he lived a strict, predictable life.
2. Although he never married he still enjoyed a rewarding social life. Listed as a popular teacher he was also hailed as a modestly successful author, even before working on his philosophical views.
3. Kant had a few personal mannerisms that became common myths that were explained in Goldthwait's introduction to his translation of “Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime.”
4. His studies were interrupted by his father's stroke and subsequent death in 1746.
II. Professional Preparation
A. Collegium Fredericianum 1732
1. He showed a great trait of studying at an early age and began school at age 16.
B. University of Königsberg Philosophy 1740
1. He spent his entire career at this location.
2. Studied Leibniz and Wolff philosophy under the rationalist Martin Knutzen.
3. Knutzen started him off by teaching him about idealism, which most philosophers of the time regarded negatively.
C. Postdoctoral - Private tutor 1746
1. Following his father’s death, Kant became a private tutor in the smaller towns surrounding his capital home of Königsberg. While tutoring he continued to work on his scholarly research. Then, in 1749 he published his first philosophical work, titled, “Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces.”
II. Published Writings: an overview
A. Biography and historical context
1. Lehner, Ulrich L., Kants Vorsehungskonzept auf dem Hintergrund der deutschen Schulphilosophie und -theologie (Leiden: 2007) (Kant's Concept of Providence and its background in German School Philosophy & Theology)
2. Beiser, Frederick C. German Idealism: The Struggle against Subjectivism, 1781-1801. Harvard University Press, 2002
3. Pinkard, Terry. German philosophy, 1760-1860: The Legacy of Idealism. Cambridge, 2002.
4. Kuehn, Manfred. Kant: A Biography. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-49704-3. Now the standard biography of Kant in English
5. Sassen, Brigitte. ed. Kant's Early Critics: The Empiricist Critique of the Theoretical Philosophy, 2000.
6. Gulyga, Arsenij. Immanuel Kant: His Life and Thought. Trans., Marijan Despaltović. Boston: Birkhäuser, 1987.
7. Beiser, Frederick C. The Fate of Reason: German Philosophy from Kant to Fichte. Harvard University Press, 1987.
8. Cassirer, Ernst. Kant's Life and Thought. Translation of Kants Leben und Lehre. Trans., Jame S. Haden, intr. Stephan Körner. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1981.
9. Beck, Lewis White. Early German Philosophy: Kant and his Predecessors. Harvard University Press, 1969. Survey of Kant's intellectual background
10. Chamberlain, Houston Stewart. Immanuel Kant – a study and a comparison with Goethe, Leonardo da Vinci, Bruno, Plato and Descartes, the authorised translation from the German by Lord Redesdale, with his 'Introduction', The Bodley Head, London, 1914, (2 volumes).
B. Collections of essays
1. Firestone, Chris L. and Stephen Palmquist (eds.). Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion. Indiana University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-253-21800-4
2. Phillips, Dewi et al. Kant and Kierkegaard on Religion. Palgrave Macmillian, 2000, ISBN 0-312-23234-9 Collection of essays about Kantian religion and its influence on Kierkegaardian and contemporary philosophy of religion.
3. Guyer, Paul. ed. The Cambridge Companion to Kant. Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-521-36587-2, ISBN 0-521-36768-9. Excellent collection of papers that covers most areas of Kant's thought
4. Mohanty, J.N. and Robert W. Shahan. eds. Essays on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982. ISBN 0-8061-1782-6
5. Cohen, Ted and Paul Guyer eds. Essays in Kant's Aesthetics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982. Essays on Kant's Critique of Judgment
6. Förster, Eckart ed. "Kant's Transcendental Deductions: The Three 'Critiques' and the 'Opus Postumum.'" Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1989. Includes an important essay by Dieter Henrich'
7. Proceedings of the International Kant Congresses. Several Congresses (numbered) edited by various publishers.
C. Theoretical philosophy
1. Sgarbi, Marco. La Kritik der reinen Vernunft nel contesto della tradizione logica aristotelica, Hildesheim, Olms 2010
2. Banham, Gary. Kant's Transcendental Imagination London and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006: "has an unrivalled ability to make Kant our contemporary and to show that the critical philosophy still contains untapped resources and even surprises".
3. Sala, Giovanni. Kant, Lonergan und der christliche Glaube (Nordhausen: Bautz, 2005), ed. by Ulrich L. Lehner and Ronald K. Tacelli
4. Farias, Vanderlei de Oliveira. Kants Realismus und der Aussenweltskeptizismus. OLMS. Hildesheim, Zürich, New York. 2006.
5. Allison, Henry. Kant’s Transcendental Idealism. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983, 2004. ISBN 0-300-03629-9, ISBN 0-300-03002-9. Very influential defense of Kant's idealism, recently revised
6. Greenberg, Robert. Kant's Theory of A Priori Knowledge, Penn State Press, 2001 ISBN 0-271-02083-0
7. Longuenesse, Béatrice. Kant and the Capacity to Judge. Princeton University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-691-04348-5. Argues that the notion of judgment provides the key to understanding the overall argument of the first Critique
8. Heidegger, Martin. Kant and the Problem of Metaphysics, Indiana University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-253-21067-4
9. Henrich, Dieter. The Unity of Reason: Essays on Kant’s Philosophy. Edited and with an introduction by Richard L. Velkley; translated by Jeffrey Edwards… [et al.]. Harvard University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-674-92905-5
10. Kitcher, Patricia. Kant's Transcendental Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
11. Strawson, P.F. The Bounds of Sense: an essay on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Routledge, 1989. Work that revitalized the interest of contemporary analytic philosophers in Kant
12. Yovel, Yirmiyahu. Kant and the Philosophy of History. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
13. Guyer, Paul. Kant and the Claims of Knowledge. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Modern defense of the view that Kant's theoretical philosophy is a "patchwork" of ill-fitting arguments
14. Gram, Moltke S. The Transcendental Turn: The Foundation of Kant's Idealism. Gainesville: University Presses of Florida, 1984. ISBN 0-8130-0787-9
15. Deleuze, Gilles. Kant's Critical Philosophy. Trans., Hugh Tomlinson and Barbara Habberjam. University of Minnesota Press, 1984. ISBN 0-8166-1341-9, ISBN 0-8166-1436-9
16. Pippin, Robert B.. Kant's Theory of Form: An Essay on the Critique of Pure Reason. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982. Influential examination of the formal character of Kant's work
17. Ameriks, Karl. Kant's Theory of Mind: An Analysis of the Paralogisms of Pure Reason. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982. One of the first detailed studies of the Dialectic in English
18. Melnick, Arthur. Kant's Analogies of Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973. Important study of Kant's Analogies, including his defense of the principle of causality
19. Seung, T. K. Kant's Transcendental Logic. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1969.
20. Wolff, Robert Paul. Kant's theory of mental activity: A commentary on the transcendental analytic of the Critique of Pure Reason. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1963. Detailed and influential commentary on the first part of the Critique of Pure Reason
21. Schopenhauer, Arthur. Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung. Erster Band. Anhang. Kritik der Kantischen Philosophie. F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1859 (In English: Arthur Schopenhauer, New York: Dover Press, Volume I, Appendix, "Criticism of the Kantian Philosophy", ISBN 0-486-21761-2)
22. Kemp Smith, Norman. A Commentary to Kant's ‘Critique of Pure Reason. London: Macmillan, 1930. Somewhat dated, but influential commentary on the first Critique, recently reprinted
23. Paton, H. J. Kant’s Metaphysic of Experience: A Commentary on the First Half of the Kritik der reinen Vernunft. Two volumes. London: Macmillan, 1936. Extensive study of Kant's theoretical philosophy
D. Practical philosophy
1. Banham, Gary. Kant's Practical Philosophy: From Critique to Doctrine Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
2. Rawls, John. Lectures on the History of Moral Philosophy. Cambridge, 2000.
3. Michalson, Gordon E. Kant and the Problem of God. Blackwell Publishers, 1999.
4. Wood, Allen. Kant's Ethical Thought New York: Cambridge University Press: 1999.
5. Seung, T.K. Kant's Platonic Revolution in Moral and Political Philosophy. Johns Hopkins, 1994.
6. Allison, Henry, Kant's theory of freedom Cambridge University Press 1990.
7. Michalson, Gordon E. Fallen Freedom: Kant on Radical Evil and Moral Regeneration. Cambridge University Press, 1990.
8. Paton, H. J. The Categorical Imperative; a study in Kant's moral philosophy University of Pennsylvania Press 1971.
9. Wolff, Robert Paul. The Autonomy of Reason: A Commentary on Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals. New York: HarperCollins, 1974. ISBN 0-06-131792-6.
E. Aesthetics
1. Hammermeister, Kai. The German Aesthetic Tradition. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
2. Allison, Henry. Kant's Theory of Taste: A Reading of the Critique of Aesthetic Judgment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
3. Banham, Gary. Kant and the Ends of Aesthetics. London and New York: Macmillan Press, 2000.
4. Zupancic, Alenka. Ethics of the Real: Kant and Lacan. Verso, 2000.
5. Immanuel Kant entry in Kelly, Michael (Editor in Chief) (1998) Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
6. Zammito, John H. The Genesis of Kant's Critique of Judgment. Chicago and London: Chicago University Press, 1992.
7. Makkreel, Rudolf, Imagination and Interpretation in Kant. Chicago, 1990.
8. McCloskey, Mary. Kant's Aesthetic. SUNY, 1987.
9. Schaper, Eva. Studies in Kant's Aesthetics. Edinburgh, 1979.
10. Guyer, Paul. Kant and the Claims of Taste. Cambridge, MA and London, 1979.
11. Crawford, Donald. Kant's Aesthetic Theory. Wisconsin, 1974.
F. Philosophy of religion
1. Perez, D. O. . Religión, Política y Medicina en Kant: El Conflicto de las Proposiciones. Cinta de Moebio. Revista de Epistemologia de Ciencias Sociales., v. 28, p. 91-103, 2007. Uchile.cl
2. Palmquist, Stephen. Kant's Critical Religion: Volume Two of Kant's System of Perspectives. Ashgate, 2000. ISBN 0-7546-1333-X
G. Other work
1. Perez, D. O. A loucura como questão semântica:uma interpretação kantiana. Trans/Form/Ação, São Paulo, 32(1): 95-117, 2009. Scielo.br
2. Mosser, Kurt. Necessity and Possibility; The Logical Strategy of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Catholic University of America Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8132-1532-7
3. Braver, Lee. A Thing of This World: a History of Continental Anti-Realism. Northwestern University Press: 2007. ISBN 978-0-8101-2380-9 (This study covers Kant and his contribution to the history of Continental Anti-Realism)
4. Perez, D. O. . Os significados dos conceitos de hospitalidade em Kant e a problemática do estrangeiro. Revista Philosophica (Chile), v. 31, p. 43-53, 2007. Também em Konvergencias, 2007, nro. 15. UCV.cl, Konvergencias.net
5. Caygill, Howard. A Kant Dictionary. Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Mass., USA: Blackwell Reference, 1995. ISBN 0-631-17534-2, ISBN 0-631-17535-0
6. Derrida, Jacques. Mochlos; or, The Conflict of the Faculties. Columbia University, 1980.
III. Principal Manuscript Sources
A. Kant, I., (1804) Opus Postumum, Königsberg, Prussia
B. Kant, I., (1803) On Pedagogy , Königsberg, Prussia
C. Kant, I., (1800) Logic, Königsberg, Prussia
D. Kant, I., (1798) The Contest of Faculties, Königsberg, Prussia
E. Kant, I., (1798) Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View, Königsberg, Prussia
F. Kant, I., (1797) Metaphysics of Morals, Königsberg, Prussia
G. Kant, I., (1795) Perpetual Peace, Königsberg, Prussia
H. Kant, I., (1793) Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone, Königsberg, Prussia
I. Kant, I., (1793) On the Old Saw: That may be right in theory, but it won`t work in practice, Königsberg, Prussia
J. Kant, I., (1790) The Science of Right, Königsberg, Prussia
K. Kant, I., (1790) Critique of Judgement (Kritik der Urteilskraft, Königsberg, Prussia
L. Kant, I., (1788) Critique of Practical Reason, Königsberg, Prussia
M. Kant, I., (1787) Second edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Königsberg, Prussia
N. Kant, I., (1786) Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science, Königsberg, Prussia
O. Kant, I., (1786) Conjectural Beginning of Human History, Königsberg, Prussia
P. Kant, I., (1785) Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Königsberg, Prussia
Q. Kant, I., (1784) "Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose", Königsberg, Prussia
R. Kant, I., (1784) "An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?", Königsberg, Prussia
S. Kant, I., (1783) "Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics", Königsberg, Prussia
T. Kant, I., (1781) First edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Königsberg, Prussia
U. Kant, I., (1775) On the Different Races of Man, Königsberg, Prussia
V. Kant, I., (1770) Inaugural Dissertation, Königsberg, Prussia
W. Kant, I., (1766) Dreams of a Spirit Seer, Königsberg, Prussia
X. Kant, I., (1764) Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime, Königsberg, Prussia
Y. Kant, I., (1764) Inquiry Concerning the Distinctness of the Principles of Natural Theology and Morality, Königsberg, Prussia
Z. Kant, I., (1764) Essay on the Illness of the Head, Königsberg, Prussia
AA. Kant, I., (1763) The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God, Königsberg, Prussia
BB. Kant, I., (1763) Attempt to Introduce the Concept of Negative Magnitudes into Philosophy, Königsberg, Prussia
CC. Kant, I., (1762) The False Subtlety of the Four Syllogistic Figures, Königsberg, Prussia
DD. Kant, I., (1756) Monadologia Physica, Königsberg, Prussia
EE. Kant, I., (1755) Universal Natural History and Theory of Heaven, Königsberg, Prussia
FF. Kant, I., (1755) A New Explanation of the First Principles of Metaphysical Knowledge, Königsberg, Prussia
GG. Kant, I., (1746) Thoughts on the True Estimation of Vital Forces, Königsberg, Prussia
IV. Collaborations & Other Affiliations
A. Gottlob Benjamin Jäsche, a student of Kant’s, prepared and published a teacher’s logic manual titled, “Logik.”
B. Georg Freidrich Meier used Kant’s annotions and notes for his book titled, “Auszug aus der Vernunftlehre,” which Kant based his “Logik” book on.
V. Being a “Star Wars” and science fiction fan I am most of all impressed with the philosopher Kant’s astronomical discovery. Of all of Kant’s philosophical views, ideals, and teachings his most impressive work for myself lies in his discovery of the ‘wobbly’ rotation of the Earth around the sun. He determined that the Earth does not make a perfect rotation around the sun but instead it’s rotation is altered throughout the year, from which we gain our seasons. From this discovery he gained the Berlin Academy Prize in the year 1754.
From a fixed point on the earth, without the use of modern-day telescopes, computers, or machines, he was able to stand back and view the galaxy with a larger view than our eyes or the minds of the time were able to comprehend.
To discover the world was round was an important discovery to the early pioneers of the time. To learn that the Sun did not revolve around the Earth was also important. But Kant was able to make his discovery from a broader perspective, as if peering at the galaxy through a microscope.
Kant was brave enough to address issues concerning the evidence of God, the relationship between time and space, the philosophies of interpersonal self, and our concepts of thought. If Kant were alive today perhaps his broad, internal views and wide-ranging perspective might be open to address the issue of whether or not we were alone in the universe.
