KANT IN THE CLASSROOM     Materials to aid the study of Kant’s lectures

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Kant’s Lectures

> The Student Notes

Introduction
Reliability of the Notes [List: Past Evaluations]
Production of the Notes
Dating the Notes
Lists: [Published Notes] [Unpublished Notes]
Lists: [> Composite] [Variant Names] [Menzer 1912] [Locations]

Descriptions of the Notes (click below):

Anthropology
Encyclopedia
Geography
Logic
Mathematics
Metaphysics
Moral Phil.
Nat. Law
Pedagogy
Physics
Nat. Theology

Composite List: Manuscripts

Key: () = complete set of notes, (+) = a large fragment, (-) = a small fragment, (no sign) = no text is available.

  1. an-Barth (geog)
  2. an-Bering 1 (logic)
  3. an-Bering 2 (moral)
  4. an-Berlin 1 (anth)
  5. an-Berlin 2 (moral)
  6. an-Blomberg (logic)
  7. an-Coing (theology)
  8. an-Dilthey (moral)
  9. an-Dingelstaedt (anth)
  10.    an-Elbing (anth)
  11. an-Fernow (anth)
  12. an-Forberg (anth)
  13. an-Friedländer 1 (anth)
  14. an-Friedländer 2 (geog)
  15. an-Friedländer 3 (moral)
  16. + an-Friedländer 4.1 (encyc)
  17. an-Friedländer 4.3 (anth)
  18. + an-Friedländer 4.4 (physics)
  19.    an-Gensichen (geog)
  20. an-Gotthold 1 (anth)
  21.    an-Gotthold 2 (moral)
  22.    an-Gotthold 3 (moral)
  23. an-Hamilton (anth)
  24. an-Hippel 1 (anth)
  25. an-Hippel 2 (encyc)
  26. an-Hippel 3 (metaph)
  27. an-Hippel 4 (moral)
  28. an-Holstein-Beck (geog)
  29.    an-Jacobi (anth)
  30. an-Jäsche (logic)
  31. an-Karmann (geog)
  32. an-Klotz (anth)
  33. an-Königsberg 1 (anth)
  34. an-Königsberg 2 (geog)
  35. an-Königsberg 3 (geog)
  36. an-Königsberg 4 (geog)
  37. + an-Königsberg 5 (metaph)
  38.    an-Königsberg 6 (moral)
  39. an-Korff (metaph)
  40. an-Marienburg (anth)
  41. an-Mellin (anth)
  42. an-Messina (geog)
  43. an-Minerva (anth)
  44. an-Mrongovius (moral)
  45.    an-Ostpreußische Reg. (anth)
  46. an-Parow (anth)
  47. an-Petersburg (anth)
  48. an-Pillau 1 (anth)
  49.    an-Pillau 2 (encyc)
  50. an-Pillau 3 (geog)
  51.    an-Pockels 1 (anth)
  52.    an-Pockels 2 (moral)
  53. + an-Pölitz 1 (metaph)
  54. an-Pölitz 2 (theology)
  1. an-Pölitz 3.1 (logic)
  2. + an-Pölitz 3.2 (metaph)
  3. an-Powalski (moral)
  4. an-Prieger (anth)
  5. an-Prussia (geog)
  6. an-Reicke 1 (anth)
  7. an-Reicke 2 (anth)
  8. an-Reicke 3 (geog)
  9.    an-Reicke 4 (geog)
  10.    an-Reicke 5 (logic)
  11.    an-Reicke 6 (metaph)
  12.    an-Reicke 7 (moral)
  13.    an-Reimarus (anth)
  14.    an-Reinhold (anth)
  15. + an-Rink 1 (geog)
  16. + an-Rink 2 (geog)
  17. ? an-Rink 3 (pedagogy)
  18. an-Starke 1 (anth)
  19. an-Starke 2 (anth)
  20. an-Starke 3 (anth)
  21. an-Starke 4 (geog)
  22.    an-Trescho (geog)
  23. + an-Vollmer 1 (geog)
  24. + an-Vollmer 2 (geog)
  25. + an-Vollmer 3 (geog)
  26.    an-Vollmer 4 (logic)
  27.    an-Vollmer 5 (moral)
  28. an-Warszawa (logic)
  29. an-Werner (geog)
  30. + an-Wien (logic)
  31. Bauch (logic)
  32. Brandt (moral)
  33. Brauer 1 (anth)
  34. Brauer 2 (moral)
  35. + Busolt 1 (anth)
  36. Busolt 2 (geog)
  37. Busolt 3 (logic)
  38. Collins 1 (anth)
  39. Collins 2 (moral)
  40. Crueger (geog)
  41. Dönhoff (geog)
  42.    Dohna-Schlobitten 1 (anth)
  43.    Dohna-Schlobitten 2 (logic)
  44.    Dohna-Schlobitten 3 (moral)
  45. Dohna-Wundlacken 1 (anth)
  46. Dohna-Wundlacken 2 (geog)
  47. Dohna-Wundlacken 3 (logic)
  48. Dohna-Wundlacken 4 (metaph)
  49. Elsner (anth)
  50. Euchel (anth)
  51. Fehlhauer (geog)
  52. Feyerabend (law)
  53.    Flach (logic)
  54.    Flottwell (anth)
  55.    Gentz (law)
  1.    Gerber (logic)
  2. Grünheide (logic)
  3. Hechsel (logic)
  4. Herder 1 (geog)
  5. Herder 2 (logic)
  6. Herder 3 (mathematics)
  7. Herder 4 (metaph)
  8. + Herder 5 (moral)
  9. Herder 6 (physics)
  10.    Herz (logic)
  11. Hesse (geog)
  12. Hintz (logic)
  13. Hoffmann (logic)
  14. Kaehler J. F. (moral)
  15. Kaehler J. S. (geog)
  16.    Kutzner (moral)
  17. + Magath (theology)
  18. Matuszewski (anth)
  19.    Motherby 1 (metaph)
  20.    Motherby 2 (moral)
  21. Mrongovius 1 (anth)
  22. Mrongovius 2 (metaph)
  23. Mrongovius 3 (theology)
  24. Mrongovius 4.1 (physics)
  25. + Mrongovius 4.2 (moral)
  26. Mrongovius 4.3 (logic)
  27. Naumberg (anth)
  28. + Nicolai 1 (anth)
  29.    Nicolai 2 (metaph)
  30.    Nicolovius (geog)
  31. Philippi 1 (anth)
  32. Philippi 2 (geog)
  33. Philippi 3 (logic)
  34.    Pohl (anth)
  35. Powalski (geog)
  36. Puttlich 1 (anth)
  37. Puttlich 2 (geog)
  38. Reichel (anth)
  39. + Rosenhagen (metaph)
  40.    Rudolph (logic)
  41.    v. Schön 1 (anth)
  42. + v. Schön 2 (metaph)
  43. v. Schön 3 (metaph)
  44. Vigilantius 1 (geog)
  45. Vigilantius 2 (logic)
  46. + Vigilantius 3 (metaph)
  47. Vigilantius 4 (moral)
  48. + Volckmann 1 (geog)
  49. + Volckmann 2 (logic)
  50. + Volckmann 3 (metaph)
  51. + Volckmann 4 (theology)
  52.    Weber (anth)
  53. Weisflog (logic)
  54.    Willudovius (metaph)
  55. Wolter (geog)

This alphabetically arranged composite list provides an overview and a sense of grouping that is lost when the manuscripts are ordered by discipline.  It also provides, in a very rough way, an indication of the completeness of the available text for each set of notes (either as an extant manuscript or in published form) at the front of each title (‘’ indicates a complete set of notes; ‘+’ a large fragment; ‘-’ a small fragment; no sign at all indicates that no text is available).  These signs refer to what would have been a comprehensive set of notes from the lectures, as opposed to the particular manuscript; for instance, if a manuscript still exists in its entirety, but it appears to break off before the end of the semester’s end, then we consider it here to be a fragment.

Two of the entries are place-holders for two groups of manuscripts presumably owned by Johann Jacob Wilhelm Vollmer [bio], an early editor of Kant’s notes on physical geography.  These notes, of which we have almost no information, are all lost: an-Vollmer 4 (five sets of notes on logic), an-Vollmer 5 (four sets of notes on moral philosophy).  Given the arguments by Ritzel [1985] that Rink made use of various sets of notes on pedagogy in his publication of Kant’s lectures on education [writings], an-Rink 3 (pedagogy) should perhaps also be seen as a placeholder for some unknown group of manuscripts.  On the other hand, Rink’s publication of Kant’s physical geography lectures [writings] has been clearly shown to derive from two separate and no longer available sets of notes, and so these have been given separate designations (an-Rink 1 & an-Rink 2).

If a manuscript’s name is not found here, you might find it included in the list of Variant Names.


Paul Menzer developed what was for the time a definitive list of all available lecture notes (see Menzer’s 1912 List).  This list (and four carbon copies) — typed out with three titles to a page — was sent in the summer of 1912 to Benno Erdmann, the director of the Kant Commission of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.  Copies were also sent to Adickes and Warda.  This list contained 90 entries, divided by discipline, and usually including titles and dates or some sort of description, as well as who owned the manuscript.  Following the order used by Menzer, the tally of notes listed by Menzer is as follows (with the number of sets following): physical geography (22),[1] anthropology (22), logic (12), metaphysics (12), moral philosophy (16), natural law (1), natural theology (3), physics (2), and philosophical encyclopedia (1).  See the discussions of the individual sets of notes for a detailed list of those notes found on Menzer’s list.

A few more manuscripts surfaced after Menzer had compiled his list, and before WW II: [list].  The events of World War II also caused the destruction or disappearance of quite a number of manuscripts.  Many libraries deposited part or all of their holdings in various locations where it was felt they would be safe from the war, and some of these holdings may still be lost or displaced.

All of the manuscripts housed in Königsberg libraries, as well as a few others elsewhere, were lost and likely destroyed during World War II.  British bombers destroyed virtually all of the old part of the city during two night raids of Aug. 26/27 and Aug. 29/30, 1944, leaving the University Library in ruins.  A total of 38 manuscripts were missing from Königsberg after WW II: physical geography (10 sets), anthropology (13), logic (6), metaphysics (4), and moral philosophy (5).  Similarly, Rosenhagen (metaphysics) is thought to have been lost during a bombing raid on Hamburg in July 1943, and 95% of the contents of the Leipzig city library was destroyed in an air raid (Lehmann, 1966; AA 24:980).  Much more can be said on this score.


[1] For the purposes of this tally, one set of notes was subtracted from the Anthopology total and added to the Physical Geography total.  Menzer had included the spurious “Messina Anthropologie,” which is noted in his list as unavailable.  This manuscript was later properly identified as a set of notes on physical geography, not anthropology.