Immanuel Kant Quotes

A collection of quotes by Immanuel Kant.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher who profoundly influenced Western philosophy in diverse areas such as metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology. Born in KÃ¶nigsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), Kant is considered one of the most important figures of the Enlightenment and the founder of critical philosophy.

Kant's most famous work, "The Critique of Pure Reason" (1781), revolutionized philosophical thought. In it, he sought to reconcile empiricism and rationalism and investigate the limits and possibilities of human knowledge. Kant argued that knowledge is derived from the interaction between our sensory experiences and the innate structures of our mind.

Moreover, Kant emphasized moral philosophy through his work "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" (1785). He developed the concept of the categorical imperative, which is rooted in the belief that moral actions should derive from universal principles. Kant postulated that individuals have a duty to act morally, regardless of the consequences, based on rational principles.

Kant's ideas had a lasting impact on various fields, including moral philosophy, political theory, and aesthetics. His work laid the foundation for existentialism, phenomenology, and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. Kant's influence can still be traced in contemporary debates on knowledge, morality, and the nature of reality. His rich intellectual legacy has made him one of the most important and enduring figures in the history of philosophy.

In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others

In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.

Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the mora

Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.

It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but tha

It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy.

Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonag

Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's mind without another's guidance. Sapere Aude! Dare to Know! Have the courage to use your own understanding is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.

In every department of physical science there is only so muc

In every department of physical science there is only so much science, properly so-called, as there is mathematics.

Science Mathematics

The inscrutable wisdom through which we exist is not less wo

The inscrutable wisdom through which we exist is not less worthy of veneration in respect to what it denies us than in respect to what it has granted.

Rules for Happiness:something to do,someone to love, somethi

Rules for Happiness:something to do,someone to love, something to hope for.

Happiness Inspirational

In the natural state no concept of God can arise, and the fa

In the natural state no concept of God can arise, and the false one which one makes for himself is harmful. Hence the theory of natural religion can be true only where there is no science; therefore it cannot bind all men together.

Men Religion Science

An action, to have moral worth, must be done from duty.

An action, to have moral worth, must be done from duty.

Morality Duty Inspirational Action

The universal and lasting establishment of peace constitutes

The universal and lasting establishment of peace constitutes not merely a part, but the whole final purpose and end of the science of right as viewed within the limits of reason.

Science Peace Rights Purpose Theend

The evil effect of science upon men is principally this, tha

The evil effect of science upon men is principally this, that by far the greatest number of those who wish to display a knowledge of it accomplish no improvement at all of the understanding, but only a perversity of it, not to mention that it serves most of them as a tool of vanity.

Men Science Numbers

Good and strong will. Mechanism must precede science (learni

Good and strong will. Mechanism must precede science (learning). Also in morals and religion? Too much discipline makes one narrow and kills proficiency. Politeness belongs, not to discipline, but to polish, and thus comes last.

Discipline Religion Science

In all judgements by which we describe anything as beautiful

In all judgements by which we describe anything as beautiful, we allow no one to be of another opinion.

Beauty Judgement Opinion

I had therefore to remove knowledge, in order to make room f

I had therefore to remove knowledge, in order to make room for belief.

So act that your principle of action might safely be made a

So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.

Out of timber so crooked as that from which man is made noth

Out of timber so crooked as that from which man is made nothing entirely straight can be carved.

It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but tha

It is not God's will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy

From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing

From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned.

Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence witho

Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another.

Two things fill me with constantly increasing admiration and

Two things fill me with constantly increasing admiration and awe, the longer and more earnestly I reflect on them: the starry heavens without and the moral law within.