K A 
KANS'ZTLI, a town of European Turkey, in Beffiara- 
bia : twenty-eight miles fouth of Bender. 
KANT (Immanuel), the founder of the Critical Phi- 
lofophy, was born at Koniglberg, in Pruflia, in the year 
1724.. His parents being in humble circumltances, he was 
inftrufted in reading and writing at the charity-fchool in 
bis parifh ; whence he was fent, at the expence of his ma¬ 
ternal uncle, a wealthy fhoemaker, to the college Frederi- 
cianum. In the year 1740 he was removed to the univer- 
fity, where he purfued his ftudies with great zeal and di¬ 
ligence, and attended lectures on philofophy, the mathe¬ 
matics, and theology. It was his object: to acquire univer- 
fal information ; but, if he had any favourite ftudy at the 
univerfity, it was that of the mathematics, and the branches 
of natural philofophy immediately connefled with them. 
When he had completed his academical ftudies, he accept¬ 
ed the fituation of tutor in a clergyman’s family at Come' 
diftance from Konigfburg 5 and afterwards a fimilar one at 
Arinfdorf, which he in a fhort time exchanged for the 
fame employment in the family of count Kaiferlingk. He 
difcharged his duty as a tutor, according to his own con- 
feflion f.nce, by no means to his fatisfatlion"; being too 
much occupied with acquiring and digefting knowledge in 
his own mind, to be able to communicate the rudiments 
of it to others. After fpending feveral years in thefe fitn- 
ations, he returned to Koniglberg, where he maintained 
himfelf by private inftruction ; and, though his emoluments 
were but inconfiderable, yet his frugality, which nearly 
bordered on parfimony, enabled him to live at his native 
college with credit and refpe£l, without any public l'alary 
or appointment. In the year 1746, when only twenty- 
two years of age, he had begun his literary career, by pub- 
lifhing “ Thoughts on the Eftimation of the Animal Pow¬ 
ers, with Strictures on the Proofs, advanced by Leibnitz 
and other Mathematicians on this point, &c.” 8vo. and in 
1754 he publiftied, “ An Examination of the Prize Quef- 
tion of the Berlin Society, Whether the Earth in turn¬ 
ing round its Axis, by which the Succeftion of Day and 
Night was produced, had undergone any Change fmce its 
Origin ? What could be the Caufes j and how we could 
be allured of it ?” The judicious manner in which he 
treated thefe fubjefls, acquired him the reputation of a 
promiling mathematician and natural philofopher, and 
paved the way to his long-defired promotion to the degree 
of M. A. which was conferred upon him in 1755. While 
he had been engaged in the employment of private tuition, 
befides his favourite purfuits of mathematics and natural 
philofophy, he engaged in a laborious invelfigation of the 
various metaphyfical fyltems of ancient and modern times, 
and for this purpofe made himfelf mailer of the living lan¬ 
guages, efpecially the French and Englilh, which latter he 
learned without a teacher, chiefly with a view to examine 
the merits of Locke, Berkley, and Hume. Inveftigating the 
principles of all the great writers on metaphyfical fubjefts, 
he found himfelf dilappointed in his refearches after what 
he conceived to be a confident analyfis of the powers and 
faculties of the human mind. But this, fo far from damp¬ 
ing the ardour of his purfuit, ferved only, as he exprefles 
it, to roufe him from his dogmatical lethargy. He imme¬ 
diately commenced an original invelfigation of this fub- 
jefl, which may ultimately lead to an entire revolution 
in philofophy. Having become a graduate in the uni¬ 
verfity, he entered upon the talk of delivering half- 
yearly courfes of ledlures on pure and practical mathema¬ 
tics ; which he difcharged, with the enthufiaftic approba¬ 
tion of crowded audiences, for fifteen years, annually pub- 
lilhing fomething on the abltrufe fciences, which ferved 
to eftablifh the fame that he had already acquired. 
In the year 1755, he fent into the world his “Univerfal 
Natural Hiftory and Theory of the Heavens, or an Ef- 
fay on the Conftitution and Mechanical Structure of the 
whole Globe, according to the Newtonian Syftem.” The 
juftnefs of this theory was, thirty years afterwards, 
evinced by the practical inveftigations of Herfchel. In 
the fame year he gave to the public, “An Examination 
N ‘T. COB 
of the Queftion, whether the Earth decayed ?” and alfo 
furnilhed the firft fpecimen of his metaphyfical talents in 
Principiorum primorum Cognitions metaphyfica nova Dilucidatio, 
and DiJJertatio de Principiis primis Cognitionis human#, both 
in 4to. which were lucceeded by his Monodologia Phyfica , 
4to. Next year he publifhed a Hiftory and Philofophical 
Defcription of the Earthquake in 1755, 4to. and, in ano¬ 
ther work, further confiderations on this fubjedt ; and Re¬ 
marks for the Elucidation of the Theory of the Winds. 
In 1757 he publifhed a Sketch and Annunciation of Lec¬ 
tures on Phyfical Geography ; and in the following year, 
New Principles of Motion and Reft, and the Refults con¬ 
nected with them in the Fundamental Principles of Natural 
Philofophy, 8vo. a fmall work, which, at the time, excited 
much notice, and was afterwards inferted and enlarged 
upon in his later writings. In 1759 he publifhed, Reflec¬ 
tions upon Opticifm, 4to. with which, likewife, ledlures 
were announced; in 1762, a Demonftration of the fophif- 
tical Subtlety contained in the four Syllogiftic Figures, 8vo. 
and in 1763, An Attempt towards introducing thePropo- 
fition of negative Magnitudes into Philofophy, 8vo. and 
On the only poflible Method of proving the Exiftence of 
the Deity, 8vo. In 1764 he gave to the world Refledlions 
on an Adventurer, &c. 8vo. a fanatic, who was then de¬ 
luding the country people by falfe pretences to a prophe¬ 
tic fpirit. This was followed by An Eil'ay on Diforders 
of the Head, 8vo. containing a philofophical examination 
of the fubjedl; Obfervations on the Sublime and Beauti¬ 
ful, 8vo. and An Eflay on Evidence in Metaphyfical Sci¬ 
ences, which obtained the accej/it of the Royal Academy 
of Sciences at Berlin. In’ 1765 he publifhed, under' 
the Ample title of “Intelligence refpedling the Arrange¬ 
ment of Ledlures for the Winter Half-Year,” a beautiful 
fyftem of ledturing on metaphyfics, logic, and ethics ; and 
in the following year he attacked Swedenborg, who pretend¬ 
ed to a converfe with fpirits, in a work entitled Dreams of 
a Ghoft-feer, illuftrated by Dreams in Metaphyfics, 8vo. 
About this time he obtained the place of fub-infpedlor of 
the royal library at the palace; and he alfo undertook the 
management of the beautiful colledtion of natural curio- 
fities, and cabinet of arts, belonging to M. Saturgus, mi- 
nider of the commercial department, which afforded him 
an opportunity of ftudying mineralogy. Some years af¬ 
terwards, however, he refigned both thefe appointments. 
During the period of Kant’s life which had now 
elapfed, his reputation and literary produdtions had re¬ 
commended' him to the notice of the PrulTian monarch, 
who made him repeated offers of a profefl’orfhip in the 
univerfities of Jena, Erlangen, Mittau, and Halle, with 
the rank of privy-counfellor ; but his attachment to his 
native place, and his defire to labour and be ufeful on the 
fpot where he had received his phyfical and mental exif¬ 
tence, induced him to decline thole proffered honours. 
He might alfo have obtained the profefforfliip of poetry 
in his own univerfity; but, confidering himfelf to be in¬ 
adequate to the fituation, he would not accept of it. At 
length, in 1770, a vacancy having taken place in the poll 
of profeffor in the metaphyfical department, it was imme¬ 
diately beftowed on our philofopher, who, in the month 
of March, entered upon his long-wifhed-for office. Ac¬ 
cording to the ftatutes of the univerfity of Konigfburg, 
every new profeflfor, when raifed to the academical chair, 
is obliged to publifh and defend an inaugural dilfertation, 
before he is permitted to exercife his public functions, or 
to become a member of the fenate. On this occafion, 
Kant chofe for his fubjecl, De Mundifenfibilis atque inklli - - 
gibilis Forma, et Principiis , and afterwards publifhed his 
Dilfertation in 4to. This is a very elaborate, abftrufe, 
performance,, and contains the outlines of his philofophy, 
which has been fince diltinguifhed by the name of “ The 
Critical Syftem.” It excited much attention in feveral of 
the German fchools, and gained converts from other fyf- 
tems ; but, for fome time, chiefly in the univerfity of 
Koniglberg. Kant’s new fituation required that he fnould 
be almoft entirely occupied in metaphyfical ltudies 5 and 
he . 
