German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) ranks among the most brilliant thinkers of mankind. He founded philosophical criticism, which became a turning point in the development of world philosophy. Some researchers even believe that the history of philosophy can be divided into two periods - before Kant and after him.
Many of Immanuel Kant's ideas influenced the very course of the development of human thinking. The philosopher synthesized all the systems developed by his predecessors, and put forward a number of his own postulates, from which the modern history of philosophy began. The significance of Kant's works for the entire world science is enormous.
However, in the collection of facts from the life of Kant, his philosophical views are almost not considered. This collection is rather an attempt to show what Kant was like in life. After all, even great philosophers have to live somewhere and on something, eat something and communicate with other people.
1. Immanuel Kant was originally written to be a saddler. The boy's father, who was born at dawn on April 22, 1724, Johann Georg was a saddler and the son of a saddler. Immanuel's mother Anna Regina was also related to horse harness - her father was a saddler. The father of the future great philosopher was from somewhere in the present Baltic region, his mother was a native of Nuremberg. Kant was born in the same year as Königsberg - it was in 1724 that the Königsberg fortress and several adjacent settlements were united into one city.
2. The Kant family professed pietism, which was very popular at that time in Eastern Europe - a religious movement, the followers of which strove for piety and morality, not paying too much attention to the fulfillment of church dogmas. One of the main virtues of the Pietists was hard work. The Kants raised their children in the appropriate manner - Immanuel had a brother and three sisters. As an adult, Kant spoke with great warmth about his parents and the situation in the family.
3. Immanuel studied at the best school in Koenigsberg - the Friedrich College. The curriculum of this institution can hardly be called anything but brutal. The children were supposed to be at school by 6 am and studied until 4 pm. The day and each lesson began with prayers. They studied Latin (20 lessons per week), theology, mathematics, music, Greek, French, Polish and Hebrew. There were no vacations, the only day off was Sunday. Kant graduated from high school second in his graduation.
4. Natural sciences were not taught in the Friedrich Collegium. Kant discovered their world when he entered the University of Königsberg in 1740. At that time it was an advanced educational institution with a good library and qualified professors. After seven years of endless cramming at the gymnasium, Immanuel learned that students can have and even express their own thoughts. He became interested in physics, which then took its first steps. In his fourth year of study, Kant began writing a paper in physics. Here an incident occurred that biographers do not like to mention. Kant wrote for three years and published for four years a work in which he explained the dependence of the kinetic energy of a body on its speed. Meanwhile, even before Immanuel started his work, Jean D'Alembert expressed this dependence by the formula F = mv2/ 2. In defense of Kant, it should be said that the speed of the spread of ideas and, in general, the exchange of information in the 18th century was extremely low. His work has been actively criticized for several years. Now it is interesting only from the point of view of the simple and precise German language in which it is written. Most of the scientific works of that time were written in Latin.
University of Königsberg
5. However, Kant also suffered from imperfect means of communication. The circulation of his first major work, a treatise on the structure of the universe with a long title inherent in the time and a dedication to King Frederick II, was arrested for the debts of the publisher and spread rather sparingly. As a result, Johann Lambert and Pierre Laplace are considered the creators of the cosmogonic theory. But Kant's treatise was published in 1755, while the works of Lambert and Laplace are dated 1761 and 1796.
According to Kant's cosmogonic theory, the solar system was formed from a dust cloud
6. Didn't graduate from Kant University. Graduation is interpreted differently. Someone focuses on poverty - the student's parents died, and he had to study and live without any support, and even help his sisters. And, perhaps, Kant was simply tired of the hungry student life. The then university degree did not have its current formal meaning. A person, most often, was greeted according to his intellect, that is, according to his ability to do a job. Kant began to work as a home teacher. His career went up rather quickly. First he taught the children of a pastor, then a wealthy landowner, and then became a teacher of the count's children. An easy job, a full board life, a decent salary - what else is needed in order to calmly engage in science?
7. The personal life of the philosopher was extremely meager. He was never married and, apparently, did not enter into intimacy with women. At least, the inhabitants of Königsberg were convinced of this, from which Kant did not move further than 50 kilometers. Moreover, he systematically helped the sisters, but never visited them. When one of the sisters came to his home, Kant apologized to the guests for her intrusiveness and bad manners.
8. Kant illustrated his thesis about the plurality of inhabited worlds with a comparison very characteristic of Europe in the 18th century. He described the lice on the head of one person convinced that the head on which they live is the entire existing world. These lice were very surprised when their master's head approached the head of one nobleman - his wig also turned out to be an inhabited world. Lice were then treated in Europe as some kind of unpleasant given.
9. In 1755, Immanuel Kant received the right to teach and the title of assistant professor at the University of Königsberg. It wasn't that easy. First, he presented his thesis "On Fire", which was like a preliminary exam. Then, on September 27, in the presence of three opponents from different cities, he defended another dissertation on the first principles of metaphysical knowledge. At the end of this defense, called habilitation, Kant could give lectures.
10. Ordinary university professors have never bathed in gold. The first post of Kant did not have an officially established salary - how much students pay for a lecture, so much he earned. Moreover, this fee was not fixed - as much as each individual student wanted, he paid so much. Given the eternal poverty of students, this meant that the salary of an ordinary assistant professor is very small. At the same time, there was no age qualification - Kant himself received his first professor's salary only 14 years after starting work at the university. Although he could have become a professor already in 1756 after the death of a colleague, that rate was simply reduced.
11. The newly minted assistant professor taught, that is, lectured very well. Moreover, he took on completely different subjects, but it turned out equally interesting. The schedule of his working day looked something like this: Logic, Mechanics, Metaphysics, Theoretical Physics, Mathematics, Physical Geography. With such an intensity of work - up to 28 hours a week - and popularity, Kant began to earn good money. For the first time in his life, he could hire a servant.
12. The Swedish scientist and part-time theosophist Emmanuel Swedenborg published in 1756 an eight-volume work, not without pathos called "The Secrets of Heaven." Swedenborg's work can hardly be called a bestseller even for the middle of the 18th century - only four sets of the book were sold. One of the copies was bought by Kant. “The Secrets of Heaven” impressed him so much with its intricacy and verbosity that he wrote a whole book, ridiculing their content. This work was rare for that period of the life of the philosopher - he simply did not have time. But for criticism and ridicule of Swedenborg, apparently, time was found.
13. In his own opinion, Kant was best at lectures on physical geography. At that time, geography was generally little taught at universities - it was considered a purely applied science for professionals. Kant, on the other hand, taught a course in physical geography with the aim of broadening the general horizons of students. Considering that the teacher learned all his knowledge from books, some passages from the books look quite amusing. During his lectures, he devoted only a few minutes to Russia. He considered the Yenisei to be the physical border of Russia. In the Volga, belugas are found - fish that, in order to immerse themselves in the water, swallow stones (the question of where belugas take them on the surface of the river, Kant, apparently, was not interested). In Siberia, everyone drunk and eats tobacco, and Kant considered Georgia a nursery for beauties.
14. On January 22, 1757, the Russian army entered Königsberg during the Seven Years of Moscow. For the townspeople, including for Immanuel Kant, the occupation meant only taking an oath to the Russian Empress Elizabeth, changing the coats of arms and portraits in institutions. All taxes and privileges of Königsberg remained intact. Under the Russian administration, Kant tried to get a professor's place. In vain - they preferred his older colleague.
15. Immanuel Kant was not distinguished by good health. However, years of poverty helped him to empirically find out what kind of health and nutrition will allow him to prolong years of healthy work. As a result, Kant's pedantry became proverbial even among the most law-abiding and orderly Germans. For example, in the Königsberg market, no one ever asked what the old soldier-servant of Kant bought - he was constantly buying the same thing. Even in the coldest Baltic weather, Kant performed exercise at a precisely defined time along a precisely defined route along the city streets. Passers-by showed tact, not paying attention to the scientist, but checked their watches on his walks. Illness did not deprive him of good spirits and a sense of humor. Kant himself noticed a tendency towards hypochondria - a psychological problem when a person thinks that he is sick with all kinds of diseases. Human society is considered the first cure for it. Kant began to give lunches and dinners and tried to visit himself more often. Billiards, coffee and small talk, including with women, helped him overcome his ailments.
The path along which Kant regularly walked has survived. It is called the "Philosophical Path"
16. “In history there was no person who would pay more attention to his body and what affects it,” said Kant. He constantly studied the latest in medical literature and possessed information better than professional doctors. When they tried to give him advice from the field of medicine, he answered with such precision and depth that it made further discussion on this topic meaningless. For many years he received statistics on mortality in Königsberg, calculating the life expectancy of his own.
17. Benevolent contemporaries called Kant an elegant little master. Scientists were short (about 157 cm), not too correct physique and posture. However, Kant dressed very well, behaved with great dignity and tried to communicate with everyone in a friendly manner. Therefore, after a few minutes of conversation with Kant, his shortcomings ceased to be evident.
18. In February 1766, Kant unexpectedly became an assistant librarian at Königsberg Castle. The reason for retraining as librarians was trivial - money. The scientist became a secular person, and this required serious expenses. Kant still did not have a solid income. This meant that during the holidays he did not earn anything. In the library, he received albeit a little - 62 thalers a year - but regularly. Plus free access to all books, including ancient manuscripts.
19.March 31, 1770, Kant finally gets the long-awaited position of ordinary professor of logic and metaphysics at the University of Königsberg. The philosopher, apparently, after 14 years of waiting, acquired some kind of connections in administrative circles, and a year before the significant event, he refused two flattering proposals. Erlangen University offered him 500 guilders of salary, an apartment and free firewood. The offer from the University of Jena was more modest - 200 thalers of salary and 150 thalers of lecture fees, but in Jena the cost of living was much lower (thaler and guilder at that time were roughly equivalent to gold coins). But Kant preferred to stay in his hometown and receive 166 thalers and 60 grosz. The salary is such that the scientist worked in the library for another two years. Nevertheless, freedom from the daily struggle for a piece of bread liberated Kant. It was in 1770 that the so-called. a critical period in his work, in which he created his main works.
20. Kant's work “Observations on the Sense of Beauty and the Sublime” was a popular bestseller - it was reprinted 8 times. If "Observations ..." were written now, their author would risk going to prison for racist views. Describing national characters, he calls the Spaniards vain, the French are soft and prone to familiarity (before the revolution in France there were 20 years left), the British are accused of arrogant contempt for other peoples, the Germans, according to Kant, combine feelings of the beautiful and the sublime, honest, diligent and love order. Kant also considered the Indians an excellent nation for their alleged respect for women. Blacks and Jews did not deserve the kind words of the author of "Observations ...".
21. Moses Hertz, a student of Kant, having received a copy of the book "Critique of Pure Reason" from the teacher, sent it back, only half-read (in those days it was easy to determine whether the book was read - the pages had to be cut before reading). In a cover letter, Hertz wrote that he did not read the book further for fear of insanity. Another student, Johann Herder, described the book as "a hard hunk" and a "heavy web". One of the students of the University of Jena challenged a fellow practitioner not to a duel - the impudent dare to say that even after studying at the university for 30 years, it is impossible to understand the Critique of Pure Reason. Leo Tolstoy called the language of "Criticism ..." unnecessarily incomprehensible.
First edition of Critique of Pure Reason
22. Kant's own house appeared only in 1784, after the 60th anniversary. The mansion in the city center was bought for 5,500 guilders. Kant bought it from the widow of the artist who painted his famous portrait. Even five years earlier, the world famous scientist, compiling an inventory of things for moving to a new apartment, included tea, tobacco, a bottle of wine, an inkwell, a feather, night pants and other trifles. All earnings were spent on housing maintenance and expenses. Kant, for example, preferred to eat seriously once a day, but he dined in the company of at least 5 people. Shyness did not prevent the scientist from remaining a patriot. Receiving 236 thalers a year in Königsberg, he gave up jobs with a salary of 600 thalers in Halle and 800 thalers in Mitau.
23. Despite the fact that in his works Kant paid a lot of attention to aesthetics and a sense of beauty, his own artistic experience was almost scarce than geographical. Koenigsberg was the outskirts of German lands, not only in terms of geography. There were practically no architectural monuments in the city. In the private collections of the townspeople there were only a few canvases by Rembrandt, Van Dyck and Durer. Italian painting did not reach Koenigsberg. Kant attended musical concerts rather out of the need to lead a secular life, preferring to listen to solo works for one instrument. He was familiar with modern German poetry, but did not leave rave reviews about it.On the other hand, Kant was well acquainted with ancient poetry and literature, as well as with the works of satirical writers of all times.
24. In 1788, Kant was elected rector of the University of Königsberg. By the personal behavior of King Frederick Wilhelm II, the scientist's salary was raised to 720 thalers. But the mercy was short-lived. The king was a weak-willed doll in the hands of the courtiers. Gradually, a party of people critical of Kant and his works prevailed at court. Problems with publishing books began, and Kant had to write allegorically about many things. There were rumors that Kant would have to publicly renounce his views. The election of a scientist to the Russian Academy helped. The king reprimanded Kant, but not publicly, but in a closed letter.
25. In the onset of the 19th century, Kant began to rapidly deteriorate. Gradually, he reduced, and then completely stopped walking, wrote less and less, vision and hearing deteriorated. The process was slow, it took five years, but inevitable. At 11 o'clock on February 12, 1804, the great philosopher died. They buried Immanuel Kant in the Professor's crypt at the northern wall of the Königsberg Cathedral. The crypt was rebuilt several times. It received its current appearance in 1924. The crypt survived even during the Second World War, when Koenigsberg fell into ruins.
Tomb and monument to Kant
