Kant's Noumena

Kant's use of the term Noumena is in classification of things in themselves, outside of the view of the perceiver. All that we can know is phenomena - conceptual knowledge of the world formed through experience. Our idea of a dog only consists of what we know about dogs through experience. We learn that a dog has certain physical features through observation and actual physical interaction. We know it's bark through what we hear as it barks. We do not know what dog experiences are like. We can form some idea through experimentation on dogs. Think specifically of Pavlov and his realization of a dog's uncontrollable anticipation for a meal or treat. We've also somehow been able to determine that the visual experiences of dogs lie in a much smaller spectrum of light than humans, leaving them with a dull black and white conception of the world. But all of this we have learned through our own sensory experiences aided by knowledge and prediction. Each of our conceptualizations of the world can be classified as purely phenomenal according to Kant.