Kant, Immanuel (1724–1804)

Abstract

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was born in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad), where he spent his entire life, first as a student and Privatdozent , later as professor of logic and metaphysics at the University of Königsberg. The fourth child of an intensely religious family, Kant rose beyond his humble origins – his father was a harness‐maker – to become one of the most important figures of the European Enlightenment. The trilogy of his main works, the Critiques – Critique of Pure Reason (Kant, 1978 [1781]), Critique of Practical Reason (Kant, 1976 [1788]) and Critique of Judgment (Kant, 1973 [1790])‐are at the roots of a system of thinking that has become an indispensable reference point for all subsequent philosophy. But Kant's philosophy of mind, epistemology, and ethics were also instrumental in laying the foundations of the human sciences, and classical sociology in particular was inspired by Kant. His philosophy has remained influential throughout the development of sociological thought during the twentieth century and is still an important source of ideas and inspiration within contemporary social theory.