Today there exist several philosophical theories and concepts. These concepts explain to us different aspects of life and help us gain perspective. It helps us look at different things from a different point of view. It also helps us to either stay pessimistic or optimistic as these theories postulated by different scholars are different and they convey a variety of messages to the people.
Many scholars have explained different topics of life in different ways. Some theories postulated by some philosophers are well known and they are implemented even today. Two of those philosophers are 1. Immanuel Kant and 2. David Hume.
Kant vs Hume
The main difference between Immanuel Kant and David Hume is their take on philosophy. Immanuel Kant was a philosopher who believed in open critiquing based on scientific evidence, on the other hand, David Hume did not believe in his philosophy and found it sceptical.
Immanuel Kant was a philosopher who was also an enlightenment thinker. In the world of modern philosophy in the western part, he is one of the most renowned and influential philosophers. He was born on 22 April 1724. He was a believer that the source of morality is reason.
David Hume was also a philosopher. He was also a librarian, historian and an economist. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 7 May 1711. He was a part of Western philosophy in the eighteenth century. He believed that the reasoning and effect of a thing on another is a result of mental habits.
Comparison Table Between Kant and Hume
| Parameters Of Comparison | Immanuel Kant | David Hume |
| Born on | 22 April 1724 | 7 May 1711 |
| Born in | Russia | Scotland |
| Conception of morals | Rational | Empirical |
| Died on | 12 February 1804 | 25 August 1776 |
| Era | Age of Enlightenment | 18th century |
Who is Immanuel Kant?
Immanuel Kant was one of the most renowned philosophers in the age of enlightenment. He was born on 22 April 1724 in now known as Russia. He was a believer that both space and time are just some types of intuitions built by humans. He also believes that the nature of different things that exist around due is completely unknown to us.
Immanuel Kant was born in a family where his father used to make harnesses and he was the fourth child out of the nine children. When Immanuel Kant learned Hebrew he changed his name’s spelling. He was raised in a family where education was the top priority and his parents made him live a disciplined life. His entire family was devoted and spiritual and beloved the teachings from the Bible.
Immanuel Kant was one of the most rational philosophers. Between the years 1750 and 1754 he worked as a tutor. After that1740. Later he was introduced to some scientific subjects like physics. His works in the field of ethics and metaphysics are well known in many parts of the world. He also put forth other arguments regarding other subjects as well.
Kant was an established and well-known scholar by the time he was 46. In the year 1739, Kant in one of his works argued that the reality of several concepts like objects and morality is questioned as they are not experienced evidently. He isolated himself from his friends to study these theories.
Who is David Hume?
David Hume was a philosopher who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was born on 7 May 1711. In the region of western philosophy, he was a philosopher in the eighteenth century. Apart from being a philosopher and historian. David Hume used to write essays on various topics as well.
David Hume was one of the most influential British philosophers like George Berkeley and Francis Bacon. He strived hard enough to postulate a theory that entailed the science of the existence of man and the nature and different traits of a human being in a naturalistic manner.
He was a firm believer that human nature and various human attributes are the roots of the experience the human being has had. David Hume was an alma mater of the The University of Edinburgh. He also believed that ethics are based completely on the respective feeling or sentiment and it is not based on morals or principles.
He believed that instead of being a rationalist and thinking differently about reason, the governing factor in a human being’s existence is passion. The thing or concept that keeps a human being passionate or which a human being is passionate about is more governing than any other reason that a human being tends to believe.
Main Differences Between Kant and Hume
- The full name of Kant is Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, the full name of Hume is David Hume.
- Immanuel Hume was born in Russia, on the other hand, David Hume was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Immanuel Kant was born on 22 April 1724, on other hand, David Hume was born on 7 May 1711.
- Immanuel Kant was a philosopher in the era of the Age of Enlightenment, on the other hand, David Hume was a philosopher in the era of the eighteenth century.
- Immanuel Kant had a rational conception about morals, on the other hand, David Hume had an empiristic conception about morals.
- Immanuel Kant died on 12 February 1804, on the other hand, David Hume died on 25 August 1776.
Conclusion
Both Immanuel Kant and David Hume were great philosophers in the western philosophy. They laid down some great theories regarding morals, human habits, human behaviour, other scientific concepts like space and time etc. They thought differently but their theories were read, understood and appreciated by people from almost all the parts of the world.
The theories and concepts postulated by these philosophers help people gain perspective in their lives. In a way or other they help many people when they find it difficult to cope with. Many people pursue philosophy even now and they study the material provided by these well-known philosophers from the past.
References
- https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/?utm_source=ILL&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=famouslibrs
- https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/?rid=903123293s840c38