Immanuel Kant, born Emanuel Kant on 22 April 1724 in Königsberg, was a German philosopher recognized as a pivotal figure of the Enlightenment. His extensive works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics have significantly influenced modern Western philosophy. Kant's doctrine of transcendental idealism posits that space and time are merely forms of intuition that shape all experience, while the true nature of things remains unknowable. To address skepticism, he authored the Critique of Pure Reason, published in 1781 and revised in 1787, which argues that objects conform to the spatial and temporal forms of intuition and the categories of understanding, allowing for a priori knowledge of those objects.Kant was born into a Lutheran family, the fourth of nine children, in a household that emphasized religious devotion and strict education. He attended the Collegium Fridericianum and later enrolled at the University of Königsberg, where he studied the philosophies of Leibniz and Wolff under Martin Knutzen. After his father's death in 1746, Kant worked as a private tutor while continuing his scholarly pursuits. His first philosophical work, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces, was published in 1749.Throughout the 1750s, Kant made contributions to various fields, including natural philosophy and geography. He published Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens in 1755, proposing the nebular hypothesis for the formation of the Solar System. By 1770, he became a full professor at the University of Königsberg, where he expanded his lectures to include ethics and anthropology. His early philosophical works laid the groundwork for his later, more influential writings.At the age of 46, Kant published the Critique of Pure Reason, which sought to reconcile sensory knowledge with rational knowledge. He credited David Hume with prompting him to address the limitations of reason. The initial reception of the Critique was mixed, leading Kant to write the Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics in 1783 to clarify his ideas. His reputation grew in the late 1780s, bolstered by essays such as 'What is Enlightenment?' and the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.Kant continued to refine his philosophical ideas in subsequent works, including the Critique of Practical Reason and the Critique of the Power of Judgment, which addressed moral philosophy and aesthetics, respectively. His political philosophy, articulated in Towards Perpetual Peace, advocated for a federation of republican states to achieve lasting peace. Kant's views on race and his earlier scientific racism have been subjects of significant debate, with some arguing that he later rejected racial hierarchies in his later writings.Kant's health declined in his later years, and he passed away on 12 February 1804 in Königsberg. His philosophical legacy has profoundly shaped various fields, influencing thinkers across disciplines and establishing a foundation for modern philosophy. His mausoleum, located near Königsberg Cathedral, remains a site of interest, reflecting his enduring impact on intellectual thought.