Joseph Green (1727 – 27 June 1786) was an English merchant who became the "best friend" of

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

Biography

Green was born in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

. He settled in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...

, Germany, and traded grains, coal, herring, and manufactured goods. Around 1752 Green hired Robert Motherby who also came from Hull as his assistant. Motherby later became his business partner and successor. Green never married. It is not known when exactly Green became Kant's friend, but it was in 1763 or before according to a

champagne glass A champagne glass is stemware designed for champagne and other sparkling wines. The two most common forms are the flute and coupe, both stemmed; holding the glass by the stem prevents warming the drink. Champagne can also be drunk from a normal ...

inscribed with their names and some other friends' names. Green shared with Kant a deep appreciation of the ideas of

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment phil ...

and

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

, in addition, Green could provide a perspective on the outside world that was helpful for Kant. Meeting on a regular basis, Kant discussed his work with him, including every sentence of his " Critique of Pure Reason" prior to the 1781 publication. Kant also entrusted Green with his money. Kant, who did not travel far beyond Königsberg, sent Green to visit

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had a ...

and check his health as Kant had doubts about his mental state. Green's sense of order and resulting pedantic punctuality inspired Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel to write a comedy: ''Der Mann nach der Uhr''. This sense of order, regularity, and punctuality also had an effect on Kant. Kuehn remarks that "Green's effect upon Kant cannot be overestimated." Green's death in 1786 deeply affected Kant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Joseph 1727 births 1786 deaths Immanuel Kant Businesspeople from Kingston upon Hull Businesspeople from Königsberg