Immanuel Kant

Born in Königsberg, Prussia, in 1724, Immanuel Kant spent nearly his entire life in the same city and became one of the most influential philosophers in Western thought. After years working as a tutor and lecturer, he became professor of logic and metaphysics at the University of Königsberg.

Kant is best known for the major works now called his three Critiques: Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason, and Critique of Judgment. In them, he tried to explain the limits of human knowledge, the basis of moral duty, and the nature of aesthetic judgment, helping to reshape modern philosophy.

His ideas had a lasting effect on ethics, metaphysics, political thought, and aesthetics. Even readers who find him challenging often return to him because his questions are so fundamental: how freedom is possible, what makes an action right, and how the mind helps organize experience.