Immanuel Kant: Life, Enlightenment, and Moral Philosophy

Historical-Cultural Context of Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), a German philosopher born in Königsberg, is considered by many to be the most influential thinker of the modern era. Kant was educated at the Collegium Fredericianum and the University of Königsberg. In school, he particularly studied the classics, and in college, physics and mathematics.

After his father's death, he had to leave college and earn a living as a private tutor. In 1755, he resumed his studies and obtained a doctorate. He taught at the university for 15 years, lecturing first in science and mathematics, later covering almost every branch of philosophy. At the age of 46, Kant was a known scholar and an increasingly influential philosopher. Much was expected of him.

Prussia, Enlightenment, and Kant's Era

In Central Europe, new ideas emerged in line with the rise of Prussia as a European power and the awakening of German national consciousness. Kant spent most of his life under the rule of two kings:

• Frederick II: Known for his concern for philosophical and literary studies.
• Frederick William II: Under whom the Civil Code came into force, promoting culture and aligning with Prussia's constitution that proclaimed the rule of law, separation of powers, and equality before the law.

In Europe, the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries saw significant changes on all levels. This transformation, originating in England and promoted mainly by the bourgeoisie, is collectively known as the Enlightenment. It championed critical review, allowing reason and experience as the only two routes to knowledge.

Kant died on February 12, 1804, in his hometown. By then, his philosophy had already attained wide circulation and acceptance in major cultural circles of Germany and a considerable echo in the rest of Europe.

Kant's Philosophical Context and Moral Concerns

The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and Kant's moral concerns constituted one of the fundamental parts of his philosophical project. Nothing significant on this subject was published until 1781, when he presented Critique of Pure Reason, the most important philosophical work of the 18th century.

Kant resumed his old project, and after Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics (published in 1783), he published Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals in 1785. This is one of the three major works in which Kant discusses the moral issue. The other two are:

• Critique of Practical Reason
• The Metaphysics of Morals

The Groundwork is the first work on ethical issues. Kant's main objective was to discover the fundamental principle of morality. The critique of the possibility of its existence occupied the attention of the Critique of Practical Reason.