Kant has to be one of the most difficult historical figures about whom to write a biography. His life outside of philosophy was limited, he never had a family or love life, his frail health kept him from doing what we would call interesting things, and he basically never left Koenigsberg. So it is a tribute to Manfred Kuehn that this book is an engaging and highly readable story of the life of one of the greatest minds in Western history.
It pays to have at least a minimal background in Kant’s ideas prior to reading this book. Kuehn delineates key issues in all of Kant’s major works at the point in Kant’s life in which they were written. Given a work like the Critique of Pure Reason, this is a real challenge. But Kuehn pulls it off with the proviso that the reader needs to know beforehand at least the overall idea of what Kant was trying to do. Kuehn successfully merges these summaries into the flow of Kant’s life with his friends, fellow philosophers, and Kant’s roles at the University in Koenigsberg – from professor to administrator. The fact that the book flows so smoothly from discussions of basic works to descriptions of Kant’s social and personal life is another tribute to the author’s skill.
The book lit up for me elements of Kant that I never realized. Through much of his life Kant was an extremely popular teacher. His classes, especially those dealing with ethics and what was then called “anthropology” – a philosophical study of human life – were spiced with multiple anecdotes and (yes) humor. He filled lecture halls and had many students who considered him a mentor long after they had him in class – though some came to very much disagree with him. Another area that Kuehn clarified for me was the relationship of Hume and Kant. The claim Kant made that Hume woke him up from his “dogmatic slumbers” is accurate but Kant knew about and taught Hume well before he “woke up.” Kuehn makes a very good case that the turning point in Kant’s life was around his 40th birthday. This sounds today like an easy cliché about a “midlife crisis” but Kuehn presents a strong case that this age hit Kant hard. Some of his dearest friends died at almost that exact time. Soon afterward he became a close friend with Joseph Green, an English merchant in Koenigsberg who had an intense interest and strong understanding of philosophy. It does seem to be the case (cliche and all) that Kant was struck by the shortness of life and that this proved to be a strong motivational factor for Kant's work. Kuehn indicates that the evidence shows that Kant and Green had open and trusting discussions about everything Kant was interested in. They took almost daily walks together (yes, at about the same time every day), and they remained close until near the end of Kant’s life. Partly through almost daily conversations with Green, including letters to Kant about English philosophy while Green was in England, but along with several other sources, Kant came to the realization at this point in his life of the real power of Hume’s analysis and how, both regarding knowledge and morals, he needed to respond to Hume. Kuehn puts into the context of Kant’s life the commonly known fact that Kant did not begin his greatest work until later in his life. Kuehn’s analysis of Kant’s intellectual development is insightful.
This is an outstanding biography. It puts into perspective (or throws out) so many easy stereotypes of Kant. Kant was a bon vivant socially, especially in the first part of his life, who was known for his gracious and interesting conversations at dinners and who continued to host such social dinners until well into old age. In that sense he was no loner. He really liked Frederick the Great and really disliked Frederick William II because of the latter’s narrow religious dogmatism and intellectual short-sightedness. Kant received a warning letter from Frederick William telling Kant that he better toe the line on his writings and teachings about religion or risk losing both his financial and social status. Kuehn covers how Kant responded to that letter. For anyone who wants a well-rounded view of one of Western philosophy’s greatest figures, I highly recommend this book.
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他の国からのトップレビュー
Daniel Putman
A much broader understanding of Kant
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E. Clarke
Great insight into academic life in an 18th Century Germany
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Jorma Rusanen
Masfred Kuehn's biography is good
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The definitive Kant Biography
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