Kant argues that metaphysicians (philosophers who are primarily concerned with the fundamental causes and nature of things) could move away from their endless battles about whether human knowledge must conform to independently given objects. Instead he argues that progress in philosophy is possible only 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.