Kant's "Copernican Revolution" is his effort to counter what he saw as major weaknesses in Hume's empiricism. His study of Hume led him to reject rationalism's dogmatism, but Hume's empiricism did not fully satisfy him either. For example, Kant did not want to surrender
some of the subjects that concerned the rationalist metaphysicians, such as freedom and God, . . . even though he was prepared to say that we cannot have demonstrative knowledge of objects beyond our experience. Kant, therefore, sought to build upon what he thought was significant in both rationalism and empiricism and to reject what could not be defended. . . . (Stumpf 308).
The critical philosophy he developed sought to "prepare" for metaphysics, rather than to reject it as Hume did: "If metaphysics has to do with knowledge that is developed by reason alone, that is, prior to experience, or a priori, the critical question is how is such a priori knowledge possible" (Stumpf 308).
Therefore, Kant was trying to retain the reason of the rationalists (Spinoza, Leibniz), but in a less dogmatic form, and the empiricism of Hume, but in a less pessimistic form. Hume rejected metaphysics,
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