Final answer:
Kant's theory, transcendental idealism, posits humans cannot know the true nature of things but only our perceptions shaped by our mind's structures. He combines rationalism and empiricism, highlighting the importance of skepticism and recognizing the limits of knowledge.
Step-by-step explanation:
Immanuel Kant's epistemological theory, known as transcendental idealism, acknowledges the limits of human knowledge. Kant posited that our understanding of the universe is constrained by the perceptual filters of space and time and the inherent categorization by our minds. Because of this, humans will never truly know things as they are in themselves; we are instead limited to understanding only our experiences of things, which are shaped by our senses and conceptual frameworks.
Kant combined rationalism and empiricism, emphasizing that while we may apply concepts to empirical observations of the world, our knowledge cannot extend beyond the bounds of sensation. This understanding of the limits of knowledge aligns with the importance of skepticism; recognizing that a refusal to admit ignorance, both in technical and moral spheres, can lead to serious consequences.
Kant's insights derived from an understanding that all human thought occurs through an inescapable framework, likened to viewing the world through colored glasses. Therefore, Kant concludes that the things-in-themselves - the nature of objects as they exist independently of perception - remain unknowable to us.