Widely considered one of the most important philosophers to have ever lived, Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1724. His father was a harness maker; the members of the Kant household were strict Lutherans, and followers of the Pietist movement—a form of Lutheranism that placed a very strong emphasis on reading and interpreting the Bible. Kant’s parents hoped that he would have a career as a priest; accordingly, his first studies were in religion and Latin.
As a youth, Kant attended the Collegium Friedricianum, a prestigious gymnasium, or preparatory school. He then attended the University of Königsberg in 1740. There, he distinguished himself in...
