fbpx

KidsKonnect

Immanuel Kant Facts & Worksheets

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher whose comprehensive and systematic work in epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics that greatly influenced all subsequent philosophy.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Philosopher /Immanuel Kant Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher whose comprehensive and systematic work in epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics greatly influenced all subsequent philosophy, especially the various schools of Kantianism and idealism. He was one of the foremost thinkers of the Enlightenment and one of the greatest philosophers.

See the fact file below for more information on Immanuel Kant or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Immanuel Kant worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Background and Early Years

  • Immanuel Kant was born April 22, 1724 in Königsberg, now renamed Kaliningrad, Russia.
  • Kant was born into an artisan family. His parents were harness makers so his family lived decently.
  • He attended a Pietist school, the Collegium Fridericianum, until age 15 and later went to college at the University of Königsberg.
  • At an early age, he strongly believed in reason and autonomy, rather than emotion and dependence.
  • He then studied mathematics and physics as well as logic, metaphysics, ethics, and natural law.
  • He was influenced by earlier philosophers: Christian Wolff, G. W. Leibniz, his teacher Martin Knutzen, and Isaac Newton.
  • After college, Kant spent six years as a private tutor to young children outside Königsberg while working on his first book Gedanken von der wahren Schätzung der lebendigen Kräfte in 1744 (Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces.)
  • He finally finished his college degree in 1755 and secured a teaching position. Kant wrote two Latin dissertations: Concise Outline of Some Reflections on Fire (1755), and New Elucidation of the First Principles of Metaphysical Cognition (1755).
  • The following year he published another Latin work, The Employment in Natural Philosophy of Metaphysics Combined with Geometry, of Which Sample I Contains the Physical Monadology (1756).
  • Although he secured a position, he was an unsalaried lecturer, thus relying on the payment of students who took his classes. He lectured about twenty hours per week teaching logic, metaphysics, and ethics, as well as mathematics, physics, and physical geography.
  • Integrating his personal reflections based on the works of known philosophers and early scientists, Kant gained popularity and became a successful lecturer.

“Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person.”

Immanuel Kant
  • Throughout his teaching career at the university, he published more books, which secured his international fame. He came to dominate German philosophy.

Critiques

  • One of Kant’s most popular books was the Kritik der reinen Vernunft (Critique of Pure Reason) published in 1781.
  • He explored the possibility of metaphysics, which he defined as “the cognitions after which reason might strive independently of all experience,” or knowledge whose justification does not depend on experience.
  • He also enunciated transcendental idealism, saying: “human beings experience only appearances, not things in themselves.”
  • He also added that “Space and time are nothing other than the subjective forms of human sensible intuition.”
  • In Critique of Practical Reason, Kant stated that “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”
  • In his 1790 Kritik der Urteilskraft (Critique of Judgment), it is stated that “when a person contemplates an object and finds it beautiful, there is a certain harmony between his imagination and his understanding, of which he is aware from the immediate delight that he takes in the object.”
  • He also supported the “theory of morality that derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved.” 

Interpreting Kanthian Ethics

  • Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, The Categorical Imperative, which determines what our moral duties are.
    • An example: “Don’t cheat on your taxes.” Even if you want to cheat and doing so would serve your interests, you may not cheat.
  • On the moral worth of persons, Kant argues that “a person is good or bad depending on the motivation of their actions and not on the goodness of the consequences of those actions.”
  • According to him, “a good person is someone who always does their duty because it is their duty. It is fine if they enjoy doing it, but it must be the case that they would do it even if they did not enjoy it.”
  • About politics, Kant stressed that “morality is obligatory in politics, he does not believe that people’s actual political behavior is controlled by duty.”

Legacy and Death

  • Kant’s critical philosophy was taught in every important German-speaking university during his time and after his death. He also became someone sought after for all kinds of questions.
  • Although being faced by critiques all his career, he continued writing until his decline and eventual death on February 12, 1804. Inscribed in his tomb in translation: “The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

Immanuel Kant Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Immanuel Kant across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Immanuel Kant who was one of the foremost thinkers of the Enlightenment and one of the greatest philosophers.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Immanuel Kant Facts
  • Vocabulary Check
  • Immanuel Kant’s Time
  • Man of Many Career
  • Formula of Universal Law
  • Kantian Ethics
  • Freedom According to Kant
  • Kant and I
  • Kantianism: Time Management
  • Kant vs Hume
  • Let’s Hear your Thoughts

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Immanuel Kant Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 7, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.