Kant: A Biography

438 Notes to Pages 61—63

Chapter 2: Student and Private Teacher (1740—1755)

1. These were highly regimented. Not only were no women allowed to enter them,
   but their doors were locked at 10:00 P.M. in the summer and at 9:00 P.M. in the
   winter.


2. Georg Erler, Die Matrikel und die Promotionsverzeichnisse der Albertus- Universität
   zu Königsberg in Preussen, 3 vols. (Leipzig, 1910-17), pp. lxxxiv f., pp. cxxx f. Two
   years of absence from the university meant the loss of this protection. Under the
   reign of Frederick Wilhelm I, students had to endure forcible conscription - es¬
   pecially if they were tall. They were relentlessly pursued by the army recruiters
   (see Erler, Die Matrikel, pp. lxxxviii f.). Academic citizenship was not restricted
   to students and employees of the university. Teachers of French, Italian, and Eng¬
   lish, riding, fencing, and dancing, arithmetic and writing also belonged among the
   academic citizens, as did many public officials, pastors, lawyers, medical doctors,
   apothecaries, and book dealers and printers.


3. Kant was well aware of the nature of the academic guild and placed great value on
   it. See Ak 7, pp. i8f, for instance. See also Richard von Dülmen, The Society of
   the Enlightenment: The Rise of the Middle Class and Enlightenment Culture in Ger¬
   many, tr. Anthony Williams (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992), p. 7.


4. We do not know when precisely Kant changed his name from "Emanuel" to "Im¬
   manuel." I will from now on refer to him as "Kant."


5. In fact, since Frederick William I was himself of the Reformed faith, he tried, with
   varying degrees of success, to get the two churches to cooperate. See Hubatsch,
   Geschichte der evangelischen Kirche Ostpreussens, I, pp. I73f.


6. For the fate of Jewish students, see Monika Richarz, Der Eintritt der Juden in die
   akademischen Berufe. Jüdische Studenten und Akademiker in Deutschland i6y8—1848
   (Tübingen: J. B. Mohr, 1974), pp. 5Sf. The first Jewish student entered the uni¬
   versity in 1731; the first doctorate was given only in 1781. But Königsberg had
   more Jews among its students than did any other university in Prussia.


7. According to the decree of October 25, 1725. See Vorländer, Kants Leben, pp. I5f.


8. But it is not clear that he even had to take it. See Werner Euler and Stefan Dietzsch,
   "Prüfungspraxis und Universitätsreform in Königsberg. Ein neu aufgefundener
   Prüfungsbericht Kants aus dem Jahre 1779," in Reinhard Brandt and Werner
   Stark (eds.), Autographen, Dokumente und Berichte. Zu Editionen, Amtsgeschäften
   und Werk Immanuel Kants (Hamburg: Meiner, 1994), pp. 91-101, p. 97n. The final
   report from the Collegium Fridericianum would have been sufficient. The professor
   who tested him was Langhansen.


9. But see Klemme, Die Schule Immanuel Kants, p. 3Sf. Hahn, the rector at the time,
   noted only whether a student wanted to study pharmacy or medicine. So we know
   that Kant did not declare to study either of these two subjects.


10. Apparently, every student had to choose one of the three higher faculties, i.e., the¬
    ology, law, or medicine. There is some dispute about whether Kant first belonged
    to the school of theology. Borowski claimed that Kant first intended to study the¬
    ology. Kant himself scratched out this claim when he revised Borowski's sketch
    for a biography. Characteristically, Borowski retained it. There is no indication that
    Kant seriously considered theology as a career when he was in university. See also