Immanuel Kant: Philosopher of Reason and Ethics

Early Life and Background

• Birth: 1724 in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia)
• Family: Modest background; father was a saddle maker
• Financial Status: Lived modestly, became a fully salaried professor in his fifties
• Religious Influence: Raised in a deeply religious family, yet did not maintain conventional religious beliefs

Personality and Social Habits

• Physique: Slight, frail, not good-looking
• Sociability: Very social; attended many parties and had structured dinner conversations

Intellectual Context: The Enlightenment

• Historical Period: Late 18th century
• Essay: "What is Enlightenment?" (1784)
• View on Secularism: Welcomed declining belief in Christianity but was practical about human corruption

Project of Replacing Religious Authority

• Key Work: "Religion within the bounds of reason alone"
• Core Idea: Replace religious authority with reason
• Need for Ethical Behavior: Identified the need to promote ethical behavior without religious dogma

The Categorical Imperative

• Introduction in: "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals"
• Definition: A method to test the morality of actions by universalization
• Examples:
  • Stealing office supplies: If everyone did it, society would need more guards
  • Infidelity: If you keep an affair quiet, it should be okay for your partner to do so as well
• Purpose: Shift perspectives to a more objective view of behavior
• Rephrasing: Treating people as ends in themselves, deserving justice and fair treatment

Rationality and Politics

• Central Duty of Government: Ensure liberty
• True Freedom: Acting in accordance with our best natures; not merely doing whatever one wants
• Role of Government: Represent the rational element within us and help society become more reasonable

Work on Beauty and Art

• Major Work: "The Critique of Judgment" (1793)
• Importance of Art and Beauty:
  • Beauty as a reminder of our better selves
  • Art embodies important ethical ideas and keeps wayward parts in check
  • Beauty offers a disinterested delight, lifting us from selfish concerns

Legacy

• Dense, Intellectual Books: Aimed to strengthen the rational parts of human nature over weaknesses

• Project: Develop a secular, rational approach to ethics to replace religious systems

• Death: 1804 in Königsberg