Universal Natural History and Theory of Heaven by Immanuel Kant. Short summary

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In the treatise, the author describes man from a pragmatic point of view — considering behavioral motives, the principles of using accumulated knowledge to create visions of the unexplored.

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The book consists of two parts, «Anthropological Didactics» and «Anthropological Characterization.

It begins with a definition of anthropology as a systematization of knowledge about man, divided into physiological and pragmatic parts.

The author defines man as a bearer of reason, a person, and by this he is distinguished from animals. The basis of rationality, he considers the ability to meaningful actions. The author presents selfishness as opposition to the environment, emphasizing the importance of his own person.

Kant divides perceptions into two parts: sensual and intellectual. The sensual are passive and indistinct, the latter are active and capable of action. The author defines the necessity of sensuality as the material for the construction of inferences.

The fragment «On the Five Senses» contains a description of the five physical senses of man. The last part analyzes the senses in order to separate perceptions from the external senses and from oneself.