Immanuel Kant: The 3 most Important questions in life
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How much should we know about ourselves and the world around us? What is the right way to lead a good and meaningful life? What is right and wrong? What can we hope for in the future? These questions have puzzled philosophers, theologians, and many thinkers for centuries. While there may not be a clear-cut answer, exploring these questions can lead to a better understanding of ourselves and our world. Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment era. In his works, Kant explored many fundamental questions about the nature of human knowledge, morality, and human existence.
Kant’s 3 most significant questions were:
“What can I know?”,
“What ought I to do?”, and
“What can I hope?”.
These questions are fundamental because they delve into the heart of human existence and the quest for knowledge, morality, and optimism. They challenge us to examine our beliefs, values, and aspirations and to seek a greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Whether you seek truth or are simply curious about the human experience, exploring these questions can be a profound and enriching journey.
We all want to know what we can know about the world, what we should do with our lives, and what we can hope for in the future.
“The greatest human quest is to know what one must do in order to become a human being,” says Kant. One of Kant’s most famous contributions to philosophy was his theory of knowledge. In his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant argued that our minds limit our world knowledge. We can only know things per our mental categories, and we can never know things in themselves. Kant’s theory of knowledge has important implications.
What can I know?
“All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” — Immanuel Kant
Kant’s epistemology (theory of knowledge) is based on the idea that our knowledge is derived from our sensory experiences and mental structures. He believed that our knowledge of the world is limited to what we can experience through our senses and what our minds can understand through space, time, and causality. Kant argued that the mind plays an active role in organizing our perceptions of the world and that our concepts of objects and events result from our mental activity rather than simply being passive reflections of reality.
These mental structures are what Kant called the “forms of intuition” and the “categories of the understanding.”
For Kant, the question of what we can know is central to understanding human existence. He argued that human knowledge is limited by the structure of our minds, which impose certain categories and concepts on the world around us.
According to Kant, these mental structures allow us to know things about the world but also limit our ability to understand reality as it truly is. His famous distinction between analytic and synthetic propositions helps to illustrate this point. Analytic propositions are true by definition, such as “all bachelors are unmarried.”
On the other hand, synthetic propositions add new information to our understanding of the world, such as “the cat is on the mat.”
For Kant, synthetic propositions are only possible because our minds impose specific categories and concepts on the world. However, these categories and concepts also limit our ability to know things beyond the realm of our mental structures.
You can know many things, but the scope and certainty of your knowledge will depend on various factors, such as your cognitive abilities, your education, your experience, and the methods you use to acquire and validate knowledge.
What you can know is also determined by your thoughts and beliefs, such as what you value, desire, or believe to be true. We can know a great deal about the world around us, but our knowledge is always limited. We can know things we have experienced directly, such as the taste of chocolate or the feeling of pain.
We can also know things we have learned from others, such as the history of the world or the laws of physics. However, there are many things that we cannot know, such as what happens after we die or the scientific proof of religious beliefs. While it is true that there are limits to what you can know, it is also important to remember that knowledge is a constantly evolving and expanding field.
New discoveries, insights, and technologies are being developed all the time, which means that what was once considered unknowable or mysterious may one day become understandable and accessible.
What ought I to do?
“Do the right thing because it is right.” — Immanuel Kant
This is a question of ethics or morality, and there are many different answers depending on the philosophical tradition and the specific context of the situation. Kant believed that human beings have a moral obligation to act in accordance with the principle of the categorical imperative.
This principle states that we should act only in ways that we would want everyone else to act in similar circumstances. In other words, we should treat others as ends in themselves rather than merely as means to our own ends.
“Always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end,” Kant said.
For Kant, this principle is the foundation of morality and separates moral actions from merely pragmatic ones. By acting in accordance with the categorical imperative, we are treating others with respect and dignity and upholding the fundamental value of human freedom.
Some of the main theories of ethics are:
Utilitarianism: the view that the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness or pleasure and minimizes overall suffering or pain.
Deontology: the philosophy that the best action is the one that conforms to a moral rule or duty, regardless of its consequences.
Virtue ethics: the belief that the best action is the one that embodies a virtuous character trait, such as courage, honesty, or compassion.
Some people believe that we should always follow our conscience, while others believe that we should follow the laws of our society. Still, others believe that we should follow a higher moral code, such as the teachings of a religion.
The decision of what we ought to do is always up to you.
To determine what you ought to do, you should consider various factors, such as the consequences of your actions, the rights and interests of other people, the moral principles you believe in, and the virtues you want to cultivate in yourself.
One of the challenges of ethical decision-making is that there are often multiple and conflicting values, interests, and perspectives to consider. What is good for one person or group may not be suitable for another, or what is ethical in one culture or context may not be ethical in another.
Approach ethical dilemmas with an open and reflective mind.
What can I hope?
“Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.”— Immanuel Kant
A question of existential or religious significance, and the answer will depend on your worldview and beliefs. Kant believed that we should strive for a world where reason, morality, and freedom are valued above all else. He observed that by pursuing these values, we could create a more just, peaceful, and fulfilling society for all individuals.
However, Kant also recognized that there are limits to what we can hope for in life. He believed that a fundamental tension between our desire for happiness and our recognition of the limitations of our knowledge and power marks the human condition. Despite these limitations, Kant thought we can still strive to create a better world and that this striving gives life its ultimate meaning and purpose.
You can hope for personal fulfilment and happiness, such as achieving goals, forming meaningful relationships, or finding inner peace. You can also hope for social and political progress, such as eliminating poverty, discrimination, and injustice or promoting democracy, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Some people hope for spiritual enlightenment or salvation, the vision of God, or the union with the cosmic consciousness. We can hope for anything we desire, but there is no guarantee that our hopes will be fulfilled. We can hope for good health, happiness, and success. We can hope for peace and justice in the world.
We can hope for a better future for ourselves and the people we care about. However, we must also be prepared for disappointment because life is indifferent to our plans and pains.
A concept worth understanding
Cromwell's Rule: Science is never settled, and certainty is the death of thought. Therefore, unless judging a self-evident statement (e.g. 2+2=4), always leave room for doubt in every assumption. Instead of thinking in certainties, think in probabilities: not “that is the case” but “that is likely the case”.
A Netflix documentary I recommend
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones
Buettner’s ‘Blue Zones’ project identifies places in the world where people are uncommonly long-lived, asking: why do people in these zones live so much longer than the global average? Each episode covers one or two of these zones. The show highlights the many ways modern life has put us on unhealthy paths and what we can do to change directions. Truly inspiring.
Personal growth tools thing I recommend
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Until Next Week,
Be Well.
Thomas
Medium | All Courses | The Write Life | Philosophy For Modern Life
Postanly Weekly is a reader-supported smarter living newsletter. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for a year. With a modest contribution, you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free instant access access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).
Thanks for making life of these classics🔆
This was beautifully framed. Kant’s three questions feel like compass points—anchoring us in truth, responsibility, and hope. The way you unpacked them made philosophy feel less like a theory and more like a tool I can carry with me. Especially resonated with: “Do the right thing because it is right.” That kind of moral clarity is rare—and necessary. Thanks for distilling such profound ideas with clarity and warmth. This one's a re-read.