128 Kant: A Biographyhectic and more and more worldly. Daniel Friedrich von Lossow, who was
the general of the hussar regiment in Königsberg, became an important
figure in Kant's life. He not only invited Kant often to his estate in Gold-
app, at the eastern border of East Prussia (approximately seventy-five miles
from Königsberg), but also asked him to obtain for him binoculars and
glasses. Furthermore, he appreciated Kant's advice concerning the filling
of the positions of field pastors. Kant thought little of common soldiers.
Someone who could endure the life of a soldier, with its lack of autonomy,
had to have a mean (niederträchtiger) character, from his point of view. On
the other hand, he did enjoy the company of the more educated officers.
Things other than social occasions diverted Kant as well. Thus he re¬
ported to Borowski how he had witnessed an operation on a Lieutenant
Duncker and on that occasion had spoken to the doctor about operating on
someone who was born blind, so that he might make him see. The doctor
was willing to do the operation, provided he found the patient suitable for it after ex¬
amining him. A society of good friends has already been engaged to take up the cost
for his nursing as long as the cure will last here. Accordingly, I cannot lose any time.
I ask you humbly to tell me the name of the boy from Lichtenhagen or whatever the
name is of the place we talked about earlier. [Please tell me also] the name of the parish
to which the father belongs and if possible the name and the whereabouts of the noble¬
man or administrator who is in charge of the village.^124
Kant's interests were not merely or perhaps even primarily philanthropic.
He was more interested in observing firsthand the operation and its con¬
sequences. It is likely that he wanted to find out more about what and how
a person born blind can see at first. The famous Molyneux problem also
concerned Kant in Königsberg.^125
Herder came to Königsberg in August of 1762.^126 Recommended by
Hamann, he first worked at Kanter's bookshop, reading almost all day, and
was soon noticed by Kanter as a talented young man, one deserving of en¬
couragement and help. Apparently, Kanter asked Kant to allow Herder to
visit his lectures without a fee. After an exam, in which Kant found Herder
to be well enough prepared for university studies, he was allowed to attend
lectures. As Herder said himself, he studied "especially the different parts
of philosophy with Magister Kant, philology with professor Kypke, theol¬
ogy in its different fields with Dr. Lilienthal and Arnold."^127 He also
attended Teske's physics lectures. Indeed, they were at the time probably
the most important to him.^128
At that time Kypke had his quarters no longer with Kant but far out¬
side of the city (Vorstadt), where he grew carrots and onions and sold them