The Elegant Magister
(1755-1764)
First Years (1755—1758): "An Excellent Brain"O
N APRIL 17, 1755, Kant handed in his dissertation for the Magis¬
ter degree in philosophy. It was entitled "Succinct Meditations on
Fire," and was not much more than an uncontroversial exposition of views
derived from those of Teske.l His uncle Richter paid the necessary fees for
Kant's promotion.^2 Four weeks later there was a public examination, and
on June 12 he received the doctorate. Hahn, who was the professor who
had first inscribed Kant's name into the register of the citizens of the uni¬
versity, gave a lecture "On the Honorable Titles of the Old Jews at Their
Academic Promotions: Rabh, Rabbi, and Rabbon." Kant's topic was "On
Easy and Thorough Instruction in Philosophy."^3 Borowski noted that
there was "a rare congregation of learned men," and that "the entire au¬
ditorium showed through its quietness and attention the proper honor to
the Magister to be."^4 Kant had achieved a reputation, or at least some no¬
toriety. The scholars and intellectuals connected with the University of
Königsberg were expecting much from him. That this is true can also be
seen from one of Hamann's letters to his brother, in which he asks that Kant's
dissertation be sent to him, for Kant is "an excellent brain" ("fiirtrefflicher
Kopf").^5 In 1755, Kant was no longer an unknown quantity — at least not
in Königsberg.
In order to be able to teach, or to receive the "venia legendi," Kant, like
every other scholar, had to defend another dissertation. In fulfillment of
his requirement, Kant submitted his "New Exposition of the First Prin¬
ciples of Metaphysical Knowledge," which he defended on September 27,- In this work he attempted to answer the question, "What are the
ultimate grounds of the possibility of truth?" or "What must be granted
for anything else to be true?" Kant discussed and rejected as truly basic
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