system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I don’t understand why Kant is so influential.

Why is Kant’s critique of pure reason considered such a turning point in philosophy? I’ve heard many say that it rendered all previous philosophy obsolete. Is this an overstatement? Is it partially true? If it is true, why should I even bother reading pre kantian philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, aquinas, Spinoza, descartes etc...) if I want to understand the current state of philosophy?
gpt
In the CPR, Kant was able to move beyond Cartesian rationalism and Humean empiricism. He created a comprehensive theory of mind, systematically mapped out exactly what we can and can't know (and how we know it). He ushered in a new system of metaphysics in the West (numinal/phenomenal distinction). Simply put, the CPR (as well as his other works) became the cornerstone of Western philosophy. Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and essentially every post-Kantian thinker has had to wrestle with Kantianism. If you want very practical implications, Kant's thinking influenced Hegel to an immense degree, who subsequently influenced Marx's historical materialism, which has had profound effects on the world (for better or worse is your call and not the point of this post). Without Kant, the modern world would be completely different. Now, onto ether you should read pre-Kantian philosophers: of course! Just because Kant was super influential doesn't mean he has to be right. There are cases to be made for modern neo-Platanism, for example, so don't discount older philosophers out of hand. Just read a lot of philosophers. Evaluate their arguments. Come to your own conclusions.