Kant: A Biography
This is the first full-length biography in more than fifty years of Immanuel Kant, one of the giants among the pantheon of Western philosophers, and one of the most powerful and influential in contemporary philosophy. Taking account of the most recent scholarship, Manfred Kuehn allows the reader to follow the same journey that Kant himself took in emerging as a central figure in modern philosophy. Manfred Kuehn was formerly Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. A specialist on German philosophy of the period, he is the author of numerous articles and papers on Immanuel Kant.
- No competition in English; first full-length biography in more than fifty years
- Kant is considered the most important of modern philosophers
- Will compliment existing Cambridge works on Hobbes and Spinoza
Reviews & endorsements
"Kuehn has written a solid biography.... The book reads well." The Complete Review
"This is an excellent book..." Review of Metaphysics
"In this first full-length biography in English, Manfred Kuehn's prodigious research dispels the idea of Kant as a colorless, and, by interveaving his life and thought, gives us a Kant we have never known before." Washington Post Book World
"This book bills itself as 'the first full-length biography of Kant in over fifty years,' but it is more than that... Kuehn has produced a work of the highest quality." Library Journal
"This book is ideally suited for a reader who already has some acquaintance with Kant's major ideas and wants a biographical, social and intellectual context in which to understand them more deeply. It is an impressive work with both historical and philosophical dimensions." Catholic Library World
"...an impressive work with both historical and philosophical dimensions." Catholic Library World
"This book bills itself as "the first full-length biography of Kant in over fifty years," but it is more than that... the present book excels...Kuehn has produced a work of the highest quality...For all academic collections and larger public libraries." Library Journal
"[An] excellent new biography. Manfred Kuehn's new book, with its scrupulous combination of archival accuracy and philosophical senstivity, therefore sets an entirely new standard, opening up fresh approaches not only to Kant's life but also to the meaning of his work. Kuehn's fine and rather touching biography reveals a philosophical life lived with pathos, courage, and good humor, as well as a terrible and merciless intelligence." Lingua Franca
"The best biography in English, and indeed in any language." J.B. Schneewind, author of The Invention of Autonomy
"The best biography of Kant now available." Philosophy in Review
Product details
August 2002Paperback
9780521524063
576 pages
229 × 152 × 33 mm
0.776kg
13 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Chronology of Kant's life and work
- Prologue and epilogue, 'As You Like It'
- 1. Childhood and early youth (1724–1740)
- 2. Student and private teacher (1740–1755)
- 3. The elegant magister (1755–1764)
- 4. Palingenesis and its consequences (1764–1769)
- 5. Silent years (1770–1780)
- 6. 'All-crushing' critic of metaphysics (1780–1784)
- 7. Founder of a metaphysics of morals (1784–1787)
- 8. Problems with religion and politics (1788–1795)
- 9. The old man (1796–1804)
- Bibliography.