2i8 Kant: A Biographywas taught at the university by seeing to it that the right appointments were
made, so Kant was trying to make sure his views were propounded not just
by him. By the end of 1780, ten years after his own appointment, he had
succeeded in what had been one of his goals from the beginning.
Another person who became an important friend and ally of Kant dur¬
ing these years was Schulz, the reviewer of his Inaugural Dissertation. In
1775, he was appointed as a deacon at one of the churches (Altroßgarten)
in Königsberg. During the same year, he became a Magister and doctor of
philosophy and then defended his Inaugural Dissertation, entitled "De
geometria acustica sen solius auditus ope exercenda. Dissertatio /." Kraus was
one of the opponents. Schulz from then on held lectures on mathematics
and astronomy. In 1776, he was appointed as court chaplain at the Schlo߬
kirche. Although he was very close to Kant in his intellectual outlook, the
two did not seem to have close personal relations. Indeed, they seem to have
communicated mostly by way of letters, which was somewhat unusual.
Social Life: "I Got All That I Ever Wished For"One of the reasons why Kant wanted to remain in Königsberg was his
circle of friends and acquaintances. Kant felt comfortable in the city of his
birth. He continued to be invited often to attend dinners and parties by
most of the major families in town. He mixed with nobility at the Keyser-
lingks' court and with the important merchant families in Königsberg just
as much as with the officers of the Prussian army. His visits at the Keyser-
lingks' lasted for "many years and without interruption." The countess
liked Kant especially, but the count also seems to have respected him. Kant
got to know the "noble way of life" there, which, according to Kraus, he
understood so well. His "elegance" (Gewandtheit) and his "delicate" be¬
havior were quite rare among scholars. "Kant always sat at Keyserlingk's
table at the place of honor, immediately beside the Countess, unless some
foreigner was there, who according to protocol had to sit at that place."^1 IS
The astronomer and geographer Johann Bernoulli (1744-1807), who vis¬
ited Königsberg during 1778, wrote:
I ate at lunch at the count of Keyserlingk with a scholar, whom the University of
Königsberg honors as one of its greatest members, professor Kant. This famous
philosopher is in his social intercourse such a lively and polite man, and he has such
an elegant (fein) way of life that one would not easily expect such a deeply searching
mind in him. But his eyes and his face betray a great wit, and their similarities with
d'Alembert was really noticeable. This scholar has in Königsberg many adherents. This