Kant in Hong Kong: Walking, Thinking, and the City

Abstract

In 'Kant in Hong Kong' travel, philosophy, and the city weave through one another. The book brings Immanuel Kant-famous for the regularity of his walks in his hometown of Königsberg-into the swarming streets of the hypermodern city and carries everyday urban experience into the labyrinthine texts of Kant's critical idealism. It lets the empirical and the transcendental play with one another in Kowloon, Hung Hom, Sheung Wan, and Admiralty as we move up and down the travelator between Queen's Road Central and the Mid-Levels, or take the bus to the beach at Shek-O. Freedom and knowledge swirl through the thick incense in the Temple of Tin Hau. When Kant comes to visit, walking, thinking, and the city illuminate one another more brightly than the colored lights of the nightly laser shows illuminate the harbor-front skyline of Hong Kong.