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Immanuel Kant; The Father of Modern Philosophy

Updated: Jan 27

Immanuel Kant was no less than an intellectual badass. He had an amazing daily spiritual and philosophical practice. He has much to teach us about moral philosophy, which applies to everything in our lives.


Kant was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics have made him one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern Western philosophy, being called the "Father of modern ethics", the "Father of modern aesthetics", and for bringing together rationalism and empiricism earned the title of "Father of modern philosophy".


Kant wrote every morning at 5am and wrote for three hours, lectured all morning and then went for an extended walk in Nature. He was efficiency personified. He was prolific. He was one of the most important thinkers in modern history. He inspired Einstein's theory of relativity. If brains had balls, Kant's would have been made out of steel. He was a master of moral philosophy: It determines what we value, and therefore our core beliefs and thoughts. He said that "Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me." These were rules to live by that are universal. Many of these have stood the test of time. He said that "May you live your life as if the maxim of your actions were to become universal law" and he believed that self-improvement is a duty. He called on us in that "It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily; but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honourably."


On genius, Kant said “Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person.” This is why a guide is better than a teacher - concepts have to be derived from introspection and meditation.


He said starkly “If the Truth shall kill them, let them die.” Truth is timeless: Kant wrote “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”


On Nature and art he said “Nature is beautiful because it looks like Art; and Art can only be called beautiful if we are conscious of it as Art while yet it looks like Nature.”


Kant's philosophy

Kant wrote that "Science is organised knowledge. Wisdom is organised life." Knowledge is the poor sibling of wisdom.



Immanuel Kant and 'The One Rule For Life', with After Skool


"To be is to do"

This quote of Kant is pure philosophical genius and totally embodies how to live. In our modern society we are obsessed with having, then doing whatever we need to achieve this, and that this determines who we are. But we are not our possessions. If someone takes away your house, you are still someone - you still have worth. His quote shows the order is: BEing; doing; then having. We are human beings, not human doings. So, once you work out who you are being, the doing flows naturally from this, as an acorn grows into an oak tree, and the having follows naturally like a river flows from its source (of being.) Kant wrote “We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without.” He invited us to “Look closely. The beautiful may be small.”


Kant and Enlightenment

Kant encapsulated Enlightenment as follows “Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! 'Have courage to use your own reason!'- that is the motto of Enlightenment... But only he who, himself Enlightened, is not afraid of shadows... Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.”


Kant's rules for happiness

He summarised these as “Rules for happiness: Something to do (purpose); Someone to love (unconditionally); Something to hope for.”


Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly



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