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Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724.1)
He died on February 12, 1804.2)
He was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia).3)
Kant was the fourth of nine children in a modest family; his father was a harness maker.4)
He studied at the University of Königsberg, known as the Albertina, starting at the age of 16.5)
Initially, Kant studied theology but later shifted his focus to mathematics and physics.6)
Kant began his academic career as a private tutor before becoming a lecturer at the University of Königsberg.7)
He was appointed a full professor of logic and metaphysics at the University of Königsberg in 1770.8)
Kant's most famous work is “Critique of Pure Reason,” published in 1781.9)
Kant's philosophy is often referred to as “critical philosophy,” emphasizing the limits of human knowledge.10)
He wrote three major critiques: “Critique of Pure Reason,” “Critique of Practical Reason,” and “Critique of Judgment.”11)
Kant is known for his theory of transcendental idealism, which argues that our experience of things is about how they appear to us, not about those things as they are in themselves.12)
Kant introduced the concept of the categorical imperative, a central concept in his moral philosophy.13)
He believed that morality is based on reason and that moral actions are those performed out of duty.14)
Kant's ethics have had a profound influence on modern moral philosophy.15)
He distinguished between “phenomena” (things as they appear) and “noumena” (things in themselves).16)
Kant described his philosophy as a Copernican revolution in philosophy, proposing that objects conform to our knowledge rather than our knowledge conforming to objects.17)
Kant wrote an essay titled “Perpetual Peace,” proposing a federation of free states as a means to achieve lasting peace.18)
His political philosophy has influenced liberal political thought and theories of international relations.19)
Kant differentiated between a priori knowledge (independent of experience) and a posteriori knowledge (dependent on experience).20)
He argued for the existence of synthetic a priori propositions, which are informative and known independently of experience.21)
Kant is a central figure in the Enlightenment, advocating for reason and individual autonomy.22)
His famous motto for the Enlightenment is “Sapere aude!” (Dare to know!).23)
Kant was known for his highly regimented daily routine, leading to the saying that people could set their watches by his schedule.24)
Kant never married and is believed to have lived a life dedicated entirely to his studies and teaching.25)
He wrote a textbook on physical geography, which was used for many years.26)
Kant worked on an unfinished manuscript, “Opus Postumum,” towards the end of his life.27)
Kant spent his entire life in or near Königsberg and never traveled far from his hometown.28)
His philosophical system, known as Kantianism, remains influential in various philosophical fields.29)
Kant's ideas have been the subject of extensive debate and criticism, notably by philosophers such as Hegel and Nietzsche.30)
His tomb is located near Königsberg Cathedral, and it bears the inscription: “The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”31)
Kant's work influenced later developments in both science and philosophy, including the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics.32)
Although critical of organized religion, Kant believed in a rational faith and wrote “Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason.”33)