ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cognitive historicism

Okay, kiddo, so cognitive historicism is a big, complicated idea, but let me see if I can break it down for you in a way you'll understand.

Have you ever heard the saying "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it"? Well, cognitive historicism is sort of like that. It's the idea that our understanding of the world is shaped by historical events and cultural traditions, and that to truly understand something, we need to look at its history.

So, let's say you want to understand why people in your town speak a particular language or celebrate a certain holiday. You might think it's just because that's how things have always been, but cognitive historicism says there's a lot more to it than that.

To really understand why things are the way they are, you need to look back at the history of your town - who lived there before, what languages they spoke, what traditions they had, and how those things have changed over time. By understanding that history, you'll be able to see how things have evolved, and why they continue to be important to people today.

So, in short, cognitive historicism is all about understanding the past in order to understand the present and the future. It's not always easy, but it's an important part of making sense of the world around us.