| Travelling for pleasure is a modern phenomenon. | | | | If he had wished to travel, he possessed the |
| Before the twentieth century, few people | | | | means to do so. |
| undertook long journeys if it was not for | | | | Kant never crossed the ocean to see America |
| investment or trade. Moving from one country to | | | | and never visited Russia, even though St. |
| another was uncomfortable and expensive. | | | | Petersburg is not far away from Königsberg. He |
| Before vaccination became an everyday | | | | never went to London, never set foot in Paris, |
| procedure, malaria and yellow fever presented | | | | and never spent a summer in Rome. For all we |
| major health risks for those travelling to tropical | | | | know, he did not even go to Berlin for a |
| areas. | | | | weekend. If this sounds boring to you, wait until |
| In our days, public taste has shifted to the | | | | you read the whole story. |
| opposite extreme. From teenagers to pensioners, | | | | Due to financial difficulties in his youth, Kant was |
| millions of individuals devote their holidays to | | | | forced to interrupt his studies for a couple of |
| visiting distant cities. Airlines offer affordable | | | | years. He eventually managed to obtain an |
| tickets to cross the ocean, inviting consumers to | | | | advanced degree and, when he was 31 years old, |
| spend their next vacation exploring exotic cultures. | | | | he landed a teaching job at the University of |
| Who can resist their enticing advertisements? | | | | Königsberg, where he would continue to lecture |
| The fact that large numbers of people travel for | | | | until his retirement decades later. |
| pleasure provides evidence of its popularity, not | | | | For most of his life, Kant did pretty much the |
| of its benefits. Many individuals count smoking, | | | | same every day, irrespective of the season. He |
| overeating, and excessive drinking amongst their | | | | would have breakfast, walk to the University, |
| favourite occupations. The enjoyment derived | | | | teach his classes, have lunch, do some research, |
| from those activities does not automatically | | | | write a few pages of his next book, return home, |
| qualify them as advantageous. Judgement should | | | | and have dinner. |
| be passed on the basis of rational assessment, | | | | When his friends urged him to have a more |
| not of popularity. | | | | active social life, Kant politely replied that he had |
| While dogs and cats appear perfectly contented | | | | no time. There was always some exciting subject |
| to move around without purpose, human beings | | | | that he was researching or some important book |
| tend to become restless. Travelling dissolves our | | | | that he was planning. His writing kept him busy, |
| routines and forces us to start from scratch. | | | | leaving little room for travel and other activities. |
| Encountering novelty can be pleasurable, but too | | | | After a quarter of a century at his job, he |
| much of it leads to exhaustion. | | | | produced his most important book, the Critique of |
| Spending your vacation in an unusual location | | | | Pure Reason (1781). When the volume was |
| guarantees that you will meet new people and | | | | published, Kant was already 57 years old and fully |
| taste exotic food. For the duration of the break, | | | | conscious of the importance of what he had |
| you will forget your routines and feel exempted | | | | accomplished. History would prove him right. His |
| from preoccupations. The idea is that, since you | | | | work has exerted foremost influence on |
| have worked hard for months, now it is your turn | | | | philosophers during the last two centuries. |
| to enjoy a holiday. | | | | The insights contained in Kant's book prepared the |
| On the other hand, if you are one of those who | | | | ground for scientific discoveries and industrial |
| loves his work and is inclined to introspection, you | | | | development. His ethical theories, which underline |
| might experience some doubts: Should you really | | | | the role of reason, stressed the importance of |
| be there? Don't you have better things to do? | | | | individual responsibility. |
| What is the point of all these vacation trips? Are | | | | Would Kant have written such exceptional book if |
| you not wasting your time? | | | | he had spent several weeks per year travelling |
| The vision of life as a sequence of work | | | | for pleasure? Would he have produced such |
| interrupted by holiday trips was born a century | | | | extraordinary achievement if he had interrupted |
| ago, but our mental patterns are more than 5.000 | | | | his work at regular intervals? |
| years old. The practice of going away at regular | | | | While exotic vacations are fine for some people, |
| intervals and leaving everything behind would have | | | | other individuals find them disruptive. Depending on |
| seemed incomprehensible to most 19th century | | | | your personal philosophy and the type of activities |
| entrepreneurs, composers, or inventors. They | | | | you like, extended travelling might or might not be |
| would have looked at us with surprise and inquired | | | | the right thing for you. |
| about the purpose of all that travelling. | | | | Do not assume that you are obliged to follow the |
| The German philosopher Immanuel Kant | | | | trend. If there is a lesson to be learned from |
| (1724-1804) is known to have spent his entire life | | | | Kant's life, is that you can attain great success |
| in Königsberg, a city that nowadays belongs to | | | | without going anywhere. Travelling for pleasure |
| Russia. Apparently, he never wandered more than | | | | can be great fun, but if there are better things |
| a few kilometres away from Königsberg, where | | | | that you could do with your time, do not let |
| he worked for decades as a university professor. | | | | anybody decide for you. |