Introduction: Kant and the Berlin Academy

Kant's engagement with the Berlin Academy has primarily been studied on two accounts.First, his prize essay submitted for the Academy's competition on the comparison between mathematical and metaphysical truths, for which he was awarded the accessit, has drawn considerable attention.This essay anticipates aspects of his critical philosophy, particularly themes later developed in the Doctrine of Method within the Critique of Pure Reason, regarding the nature of philosophical and mathematical reasoning.As such, the 1763 essay stands out as one of Kant's most thoroughly studied pre-critical works.1 Second, scholars have also focused on Kant's 1793/95 manuscripts addressing the Academy's prize question on the progress of metaphysics.These writings represent one of his final reflections on the possibility of metaphysics and offer insights into the trajectory of his critical philosophy within the historical development of metaphysics.2Even on these occasions, the focus has typically remained on Kant himself, rather than on his relationship with the Berlin Academy, either as an institution or in connection with its individual members.This is unfortunate, as it is well known that Kant held many Academy members in high regard, such as Maupertuis, Euler, Sulzer, and Lambert.More broadly, Kant's connection with the Berlin Academy was extensive, multiple, and dates to the earliest years of his philosophical career.Beyond the two well-known prize competitions of 1763 and 1795, numerous Kantian texts are tied to the Academy's activities.His Physical Monadology of 1756, for example, was written a few years after the Academy's 1747 prize competition on monads and clearly aimed to contribute to the discussions that emerged from that contest.