Modern philosophy

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/modern-philosophy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the temporal scope?Primarily the 17th century through the early 20th century, with debated boundaries
2. What is the intellectual antecedents?Renaissance humanism and the Scientific Revolution
3. Why did modern philosophers focus on human reason instead of tradition?They wanted to challenge old ideas and believed that people could understand the world better by thinking for themselves and using evidence from their own experiences.
4. How did Descartes and Kant influence modern philosophy?Descartes started by doubting everything to find certainty in thinking, while Kant combined the ideas of rational thinkers and those who trusted experience, showing that our mind shapes what we learn.

Methodological Skepticism: A systematic process of doubting all beliefs to find certain, foundational truths.
A Priori Knowledge: Knowledge that is independent of experience, derived from reason alone.
Transcendental Idealism: Kant's philosophy positing that the mind structures our experience of reality through innate categories.