Book IV, Part 1, Section 2, “The Christian religion as a natural religion”
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When the man governed by self-interest, the god of this world, does not renounce it but merely refines it by the use of reason and extends it beyond the constricting boundary of the present, he is represented (Luke XVI, 3-9) as one who, in his very person [as servant], defrauds his master [self- interest] and wins from him sacrifices in behalf of “duty.”
— Immanuel Kant
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When the man governed by self-interest, the god of this world, does not renounce it but merely refines it by the use of reason and extends it beyond the constricting boundary of the present, he is represented (Luke XVI, 3-9) as one who, in his very person [as servant], defrauds his master [self- interest] and wins from him sacrifices in behalf of “duty.”" in the context of "Book IV, Part 1, Section 2, “The Christian religion as a natural religion”" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Immanuel Kant" (Quotes, Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone (1793): Full text in German
Full Text in English 1838 translation)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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