Immanuel Kant was born on 22nd April 1724*.
His philosophy has made a lasting impact on all of Western thought.
In 2024 events and conferences commemorating Kant’s 300th Birthday were held all over the Western World. This presentation first saw the light of day in 2024 as ‘Kant 300’ at a West London Philosophy meeting in Teddington as a small contribution to the celebrations of Kant and his philosophy. Gerrards Cross deserves no less, so here 302 years after his birth is ‘Kant 302’ (at least we have the month right!).
This presentation reviews Kant’s life and important aspects of his philosophy – ‘Warts and All’! We will only have time to examine brief samples of his thought on physics, religion, metaphysics, ethics, politics, on universities and on organic life that have proved to have lasting philosophical value – so much else will have to be left out!
Kant, in his Critique of Pure Reason, invited enlightened followers to contribute to his philosophical enterprise as fellow workers to advance our understanding of the world and ourselves in it – so I would like to suggest that we should join with contemporary neo-Kantians and take up his invitation to further this aim in the 21st Century!
* He died on 12th February 1804 – a little short of his 80th Birthday. His last words were (said to be): ‘Es ist gut’.