Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804)

Immanuel Kant founded modern philosophy, freed morality from religion, laid down princi- ples of human rights recognized everywhere today, and contributed insights that are still important to the fields of physics, astronomy, geoscience, anthropology, and aesthetics. Political theory is considered one of Kant’s minor areas of interest; though there is impor- tant material for political thought in each of the three great Critiques, Kant’s main political work, the Metaphysics of Morals, is central nei- ther to Kant’s oeuvre nor to the canon of political thought. Nevertheless, Kant achieves original insights in his political philosophy and in his philosophy’s political implications; both prove vitally important for present-day stu- dents of politics.