ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Modern Platonism

Modern platonism is a philosophy that believes in the existence of abstract concepts and ideas that exist beyond the physical world. Imagine that you have a toy car and you love to play with it. The toy car is something you can touch and feel, and it exists in the physical world. Modern platonism believes that there are also non-physical things that exist, like the idea of a car.

Think of it like this: if all the toy cars in the world suddenly disappeared, the idea of a car would still exist in your mind. It's like we all have a mental picture of what a car is, even if we can't see it or touch it.

In modern platonism, these abstract ideas are considered to be real and important. They are seen as universal, meaning that they exist everywhere and are not tied to one specific place or time.

For example, the concept of beauty exists in modern platonism as a real, tangible thing. It's not just something that exists in our minds, but something that has a existence beyond us. This can be hard to understand, but it's like a song that exists in the music itself and not just in our minds.

Modern platonists believe that by understanding these abstract concepts, we can better understand the world around us. By understanding the idea of justice, for example, we can work towards creating a more just and fair society. These abstract ideas give us a framework for understanding the world and our place in it.