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Philosophy
8 Philosophers Broken Down Into A Few Sentences
It’s not easy to understand the philosophers of the Enlightenment, Existentialism, and beyond without knowing something about them. Without an understanding of their historical context, it's hard to grasp their significance for us today.
Fear not. I’d like to break down 8 philosophers in… just a few short sentences.
It is my hope to convey these philosophers' intentions so that you can understand their quotes, ideas, and books much easier.
1. Immanuel Kant, 1780's
The reason Existentialism inevitably came about was because of the failure of the Enlightenment. Kant is one of the central figures of this movement, and its promises of human reason bringing us to self-realization was one of the hallmarks of modernity.
While Kant laid some heavy groundwork into human thought, it seems to end in disappointment. We can’t know things objectively, but just try to use our gifts of reason to understand them the best we can. This didn’t sit well with humanity, it was like reaching a dead-end.
There need to be more levels of the video game, it can’t be over!
