Immanuel Kant was born on 22 April 1724 in Königsberg. A German philosopher, Kant spent his entire life in the city of Königsberg in East Prussia, where he was a professor. His Critique of Pure Reason of 1781 argued that human knowledge is shaped by the structures of the mind, such as space, time and causality, so that we know the world as it appears to us and not as it is in itself. In ethics he proposed the categorical imperative, that one should act only according to rules that could become universal laws. He also wrote on aesthetics, politics and peace. He was one of the central figures of the Enlightenment and a major influence on modern philosophy.
Before and after
- 1722Construction of Élysée Palace
- 1723Founding of Montevideo
- June 1723Birth of Adam Smith
- 22 January 1724Founding of Saint Petersburg State University
- 22 April 1724Birth of Immanuel Kant
- 24 September 1724Founding of Euronext Paris
- 1725The Four Seasons
- 28 January 1725Death of Peter the Great
- 2 April 1725Birth of Giacomo Casanova
More in Art, literature & culture
- 18 April 1506Construction of St. Peter's Basilica
- 1 January 1519Origins of Reformed Christianity
- 1605Publication of Don Quixote
- 1652Origins of Quakers
- from 1660 to 1725Rise of Classicism
- from c. 1730s to 1780sRise of Rococo
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.