Marcus Willaschek, Kant: A Revolution in Thinking ****

I knew Immanuel Kant as "the most important philosopher of the modern era" based on his work in metaphysics (Critique of Pure Reason) and ethics (the categorical imperative). Kant: A Revolution in Thinking gave me a more complete picture of Kant, both as a person and as a thinker. I learned, for example, that more than half of Kant's published works are about natural science!

The book has a unique organization, one that is thematic rather than chronological. Willaschek starts with Kant's less well-known ideas regarding politics and history and gradually works his way toward the more abstruse metaphysics. Each chapter includes information about Kant's ideas, his life, and the contemporary context.

I was concerned when reading the first few chapters. They felt like a disorganized collection of thoughts that didn't support Kant's reputation, and the language sounded like overly literal translations from the German. As I continued, it became clear that each section was like a puzzle piece, and the big picture came into focus once I had more of the pieces in place.

Willaschek identifies three important aspects of Kant's genius.

• He found ways to reconcile seemingly contradictory positions, such as idealism/epiricism and determinism/free will
• He shifted the focus of debate about objectivity and epistemology so that it takes seriously the nature and limitations of human understanding
• He approached natural science and moral reasoning in the same way.