ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Early modern philosophy

Hello there! Do you want to know what early modern philosophy means? Let me explain it to you as if you were 5 years old.

Think about your favorite toy. How do you know that it's your favorite toy? Is it because it makes you feel happy? Is it because it's fun to play with? Is it because it's your favorite color? These are the kinds of questions that early modern philosophers were interested in answering.

Early modern philosophy is the study of big questions, like what is the nature of reality, what can we know, and how should we live our lives? This kind of philosophy started in the 16th century and continued into the 18th century.

One of the most famous early modern philosophers was a man named René Descartes. He is famous for saying, "Cogito, ergo sum," which means "I think, therefore I am." He was interested in figuring out what we can know for certain.

Another famous philosopher was John Locke. He believed that people are born with a blank slate, or "tabula rasa," and that we learn everything we know from our experiences.

There were many other philosophers during this time period, and they all had different ideas about the world and how it works. Some of their ideas are still influential today, and people still study them to try to understand the world better.

So, early modern philosophy is all about asking big questions and trying to figure out the answers. It's like a big puzzle where the pieces are ideas and the goal is to put them together to understand the world better.
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