# Immanuel Kant — The Problems of Philosophy character guide

> Immanuel Kant in The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Kant

**First appearance:** 0005-iv-idealism

## Snapshot

The German philosopher who split experience into what the world gives us and what our own minds supply—and made the world beyond that split unknowable.

## Who they are

Kant arrives in Russell's argument at the moment the problem of a priori knowledge becomes acute: how can we know, before meeting them, that any two future Londoners plus two more will make four? His answer—that space, time, and causality are contributions of our own nature, while the 'thing in itself' stays forever out of reach—is the boldest solution on offer. Russell admires its ingenuity even as he dismantles it, making Kant the indispensable sparring partner for anyone who wants to see how far the mind's furniture can be trusted.

## In the story

### [The Problems of Philosophy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_problems_of_philosophy_se/chapters/the-problems-of-philosophy)

His theory of a priori knowledge is discussed and criticized in the context of philosophical inquiry.

### [How a Priori Knowledge Is Possible](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_problems_of_philosophy_se/chapters/viii-how-a-priori-knowledge-is-possible)

Kant's critical philosophy and his theory of a priori synthetic knowledge are the central focus of the chapter. Russell discusses Kant's views on space, time, causality, and the distinction between phenomena and noumena.

### [IX: The World of Universals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_problems_of_philosophy_se/chapters/ix-the-world-of-universals)

Kant's reasons for denying the independence of relations are mentioned as inadequate, alongside Berkeley's.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_problems_of_philosophy_se/chapters/endnotes)

Referenced in the endnote regarding the 'thing in itself' and its relation to sensations and categories.

## Links

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