More than two centuries after its initial publication in 1781, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason remains perhaps the most influential text in modern philosophy. Kant wanted metaphysicians to move away from their endless battles about whether or not human knowledge must conform to independently given objects. Instead, he argues that progress in philosophy is only possible by agreeing that objects conform to forms of human cognition, or awareness. Much of the history of philosophy can be recounted in terms of how thinkers have reacted to Kant's work. His Critique continues to provoke and inform a range of contemporary debates, both within and beyond philosophy.
