Immanuel Kant

About Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant, a central figure in modern philosophy, is ranked #52 in historical importance by the MIT Pantheon project. Living from 1724 to 1804, his enduring legacy stems primarily from his critical works, such as the Critique of Pure Reason, which fundamentally reshaped metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. His systematic synthesis of rationalism and empiricism profoundly influenced subsequent philosophical thought across Europe and beyond, establishing him as a pivotal Enlightenment thinker.

Kant's online visibility in 2025 suggests his historical influence is not fully translating to modern internet attention. He garnered approximately 1.3 million Wikipedia views, resulting in an Attention Gap factor of about 1x, indicating his attention is closely proportional to his immense historical rank of #52. While this is a balanced score, it contrasts sharply with other major philosophers; for example, Friedrich Nietzsche (#103) drew 2.1 million views, and Laozi (#62) attracted 3.7 million views. Compared to figures from a more modern era, even an established but less historically central figure like J. Robert Oppenheimer (#84) received over three times Kant's 2025 pageviews.

Despite this relative parity with his historical importance rank, Kant's attention does show positive trajectory. His 2025 Wikipedia views increased by 1.0% year-over-year, and the momentum between the first and third quarters was a notable +13%, suggesting a growing, though moderate, level of current digital interest.