(1724–1804) Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher. He’s a major figure in modern philosophy—his synthesis of rationalism and empiricism influenced the course of western philosophical thought throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and his work continues to inform philosophy to this day. One of Kant’s main ideas is that human rationality underlies all experience. He also believes that rationality is objective and universal, regardless of a person’s subjective experiences. Therefore, systems of morality derived from reason are reliable indicators of what is good (moral) and what is bad (immoral). Nietzsche rejects Kantian philosophy for its belief in a “moral world-order” that privileges rationality and undermines human instinct.