Introduction.

ing. This artisan family breathed the strictest moral purity, honesty, tolerance, and genuine piety. They possessed—as their son would still praise them for in his old age—"the highest that a human being can possess: that tranquility, that cheerfulness, that inner peace which was disturbed by no passions,"¹) and they also gave their children an education that, "viewed from the moral side, could not have been better at all" (Kant to Lindblom, August 13, 1797). His mother, in particular, seems to have exerted a lasting influence on the serious and thoughtful boy; even decades later, his eyes would shine when he spoke of her. "She often led me," as he told his later biographer R. B. Jachmann, "outside the city, drew my attention to the works of God, expressed herself with a pious delight regarding His omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness, and imprinted into my heart a deep reverence toward the Creator of all things." In addition, she did not fail to have him diligently attend the prayer meetings original: "Betstunden." These were informal devotional gatherings typical of Pietism, focused on prayer and Bible study rather than formal liturgy. held by the aforementioned F. A. Schultz. As the family's pastor and advisor, Schultz arranged for the gifted son of the artisan to be admitted in his ninth year (autumn 1732) to the Collegium Fridericianum A prestigious Latin school in Königsberg named after King Frederick I. It was a center for Pietist education., which was under his influence.

This gymnasium A German secondary school designed to prepare students for university., directed by Schultz himself from 1733 onward, and where Immanuel spent his entire remaining school years (1732–1740), was likewise completely permeated by the spirit of Pietism A reform movement within Lutheranism that emphasized individual piety, living a rigorous Christian life, and emotional religious experience over formal dogma.. Its purpose was explicitly stated: "that, on the one hand, those under its care might be rescued from their spiritual ruin and genuine Christianity be planted in their hearts from youth onward, but on the other hand, that their temporal well-being might also be promoted." According to contemporary testimonies, religion dominated the entire curriculum from 5 o'clock in the morning until 9 o'clock in the evening. Greek, for example,

1. Rink, Views from I. Kant's Life. Königsberg 1805. pp. 14f.