(1724–1804) Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher. He’s a major figure in modern philosophy—his synthesis of rationalism and empiricism influenced the course of western philosophical thought throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and his work continues to inform philosophy to this day. One of Kant’s main ideas is that human rationality underlies all experience. He also believes that rationality is objective and universal, regardless of a person’s subjective experiences. Therefore, systems of morality derived from reason are reliable indicators of what is good (moral) and what is bad (immoral). Nietzsche rejects Kantian philosophy for its belief in a “moral world-order” that privileges rationality and undermines human instinct.
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Immanuel Kant Character Timeline in Twilight of the Idols
The timeline below shows where the character Immanuel Kant appears in Twilight of the Idols. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
“Reason” in Philosophy
...dividing the world into a “real” and an “apparent” world—as in Christianity or as in Kantian philosophy—is a sign of a “declining life.”
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The Four Great Errors
...their own actions or existence. Nietzsche derides the idea of “intelligible freedom” put forth by Kant and Plato. People aren’t the consequence of “a specific design, a will, a purpose,” therefore...
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Expeditions of an Untimely Man
...Nietzsche criticizes Germans’ “psychological taste.” He hates how they’ve wrongfully elevated the “backdoor philosophy” of Kant.
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...does this by making learning boring and by instilling in students “the concept of duty.” Kant’s philosophy is most effective at turning students into obedient “civil servants.”
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