Abstract

This intellectual biography of Immanuel Kant's early years--from 1747 when his first book was published, to 1770 when his Critique of Pure Reason was about to be printed--makes an outstanding contribution to Kant scholarship. Schonfeld meticulously examines almost all of Kant's early works, summarizes their content, and exhibits their shortcomings and strengths. He places the early theories in their historical context and describes the scientific discoveries and philosophical innovations that distinguish Kant's pre-critical works. Schonfeld argues that these works were all aspects of a single project carried out by Kant to reconcile metaphysical and scientific perspectives and combine them into a coherent model of nature.