Uit de ontwikkelingsgeschiedenis van het Menschelijk Denken, Deel 2 van 2

Immanuel Kant’s story begins in the modest town of Königsberg, where a diligent saddlemaker and a devout mother shaped the young philosopher’s disciplined, pious upbringing. From his early schooling under strict teachers to his university years in mathematics and natural science, Kant’s keen intellect gravitated toward the theoretical, even as he pursued a brief stint in theology. After leaving the academy, he earned a living tutoring the children of respectable families, refining a thoughtful, courteous manner that would later endear him to students and peers alike.

The narrative follows Kant’s gradual ascent from a modest under‑bibliothecary to a coveted private lecturer, a period he later recalled as the happiest of his life. Here, his lectures brim with humor, rigor, and an unwavering love of truth, captivating listeners across a variety of subjects. By the late 1770s he secured a professorship, and the intense mental labor of those years set the stage for the monumental work that would eventually emerge in 1781—the Critique of Pure Reason.