The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God

What it is

This is a book by Immanuel Kant, published in 1763 in German, during what he later called his philosophical 'dogmatic slumber' period. In it, Kant questions traditional arguments for God's existence, including the ontological argument of Anselm of Canterbury and the argument from design, before offering his own.

Why it matters

Kant argues that the possibility of all things requires some necessary being, which he identifies with God. The book was praised in a review by Moses Mendelssohn, which helped establish Kant's early reputation as a major philosopher. It anticipates ideas Kant would revisit later in his famous Critique of Pure Reason.

Look closer

• Why might Kant later look back on this period of his thinking as a 'slumber'?
• What does it mean that existence might not be a predicate — why would that matter for proving God exists?
• How did Mendelssohn's review help shape how people saw Kant at the time?