Explanation: The period of early modern philosophy is generally understood to have spanned the 16th through the 18th centuries, rather than being exclusively confined to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Explanation: While the Renaissance and printing press were influential, the early modern period was more directly shaped by the Age of Discovery, the Protestant Reformation, and the burgeoning Scientific Revolution.

Explanation: The early modern period was marked by the formalization and acceleration of science, and a move towards secularized civic politics, not religious dominance.

Explanation: The consensus presented is that early modern philosophy generally occurred between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Explanation: The Age of Discovery, alongside scientific progress and the Reformation, is cited as a critical event that profoundly shaped Western thought during the early modern period.

Explanation: The early modern period witnessed the development of secularized civic politics, alongside the formalization of science and shifts in political philosophy.

Explanation: The Age of Discovery is identified as a third critical historical event, alongside scientific progress and the Reformation, that significantly influenced early modern Western thought.

Explanation: These philosophers are consistently identified as central figures whose works significantly shaped the trajectory of early modern philosophical discourse.

Explanation: These thinkers laid crucial groundwork in epistemology, political theory, and scientific methodology that profoundly influenced the subsequent Enlightenment movement.

Explanation: Locke's empirical epistemology and his theories on natural rights and government were highly influential in shaping Enlightenment thought.

Explanation: Leibniz and Spinoza utilized the concept of infinity in broader metaphysical discussions, distinguishing between God's qualitative infinity and mathematical infinity.

Explanation: Both Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant are considered pivotal figures within the canon of early modern philosophy.

Explanation: Ernst Cassirer critiqued Hobbes's logic, suggesting that an individual cannot truly surrender their personality or the right to it, as this would negate their moral agency.

Explanation: Friedrich Nietzsche is a prominent figure in 19th-century philosophy and is not typically categorized within the early modern period.

Explanation: A central intellectual task for many early modern thinkers involved integrating or responding to the challenges posed by new scientific findings within existing theological and philosophical frameworks.

Explanation: The mechanical view of the cosmos, emphasizing natural laws, tended to challenge rather than reinforce traditional notions of constant divine intervention in the universe's operations.

Explanation: Many prominent figures of the era were both scientists and philosophers, and the disciplines were deeply intertwined, with scientific advancements often fueling philosophical inquiry.

Explanation: Newton's principles described a universe governed by natural laws, which aligned with the Enlightenment's focus on reason and natural law independent of constant spiritual intervention.

Explanation: A central task was harmonizing or responding to the tension between established classical and theological doctrines and the emergent scientific understanding of the cosmos.

Explanation: The mechanical worldview presented by the Scientific Revolution prompted philosophers to re-examine fundamental concepts concerning the nature of reality, consciousness, and divinity.

Explanation: The lines between scientific inquiry and philosophical exploration were often blurred, with many key figures contributing to both domains.

Explanation: Newton's depiction of a universe governed by discoverable natural laws resonated with the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and secular explanations.

Explanation: The Enlightenment championed reason and empirical evidence as the primary sources of legitimacy, often critiquing tradition and emotional appeals in governance and thought.

Explanation: French historians typically mark the beginning of the Enlightenment with the death of Louis XIV (1715) and its end with the French Revolution (1789).

Explanation: The Radical Enlightenment, inspired by Spinoza, advocated for democracy and the abolition of religious authority, whereas the Moderate Enlightenment sought a balance with existing structures.

Explanation: Enlightenment science emphasized empiricism, reason, and a belief in linear societal progress, often critiquing faith and tradition as impediments.

Explanation: The Enlightenment profoundly influenced Western political culture, laying the groundwork for modern democratic principles and institutions.

Explanation: Liberal thought from the Enlightenment emphasized principles such as natural equality, separation of powers, and popular consent, directly challenging divine right and hereditary succession.

Explanation: A primary motivation for Enlightenment criticism of religion was as a reaction to the religious turmoil and violence of preceding centuries, aiming to reduce the political influence of organized religion.

Explanation: Deism and atheism were indeed concepts that emerged and were discussed during the Enlightenment, reflecting the period's intellectual currents.

Explanation: The Enlightenment prioritized reason and evidence as the foundational sources for legitimacy and understanding, challenging traditional authorities.

Explanation: The conventional periodization by French historians places the start of the Enlightenment in 1715 (death of Louis XIV) and its conclusion in 1789 (French Revolution).

Explanation: Newton's work on natural laws and Locke's treatise on human understanding are cited as seminal texts that significantly influenced the Enlightenment.

Explanation: The Moderate Enlightenment, associated with figures like Descartes and Locke, aimed for reform while maintaining a degree of accommodation with established institutions.

Explanation: Many Enlightenment thinkers viewed scientific advancement as intrinsically linked to the critique and rejection of religious dogma and traditional authority, seeing it as a path to progress.

Explanation: The Enlightenment is credited with laying the foundational principles for contemporary Western political thought, intellectual traditions, and the development of democratic societies.

Explanation: The divine right of rulers was a principle that Enlightenment liberalism actively challenged and sought to replace with concepts of popular consent and natural rights.

Explanation: A significant impetus for religious criticism among Enlightenment thinkers was the historical experience of religious conflict and violence, seeking to mitigate its recurrence.

Explanation: Deism posits a belief in a divine Creator who established the universe but does not intervene in its affairs or reveal itself through specific doctrines or scriptures.

Explanation: Montesquieu's influential theory advocating for the separation of governmental powers was a key principle adopted in the design of the U.S. Constitution.

Explanation: Enlightenment ideals concerning liberty, rights, and reason provided the fundamental basis for the development of modern liberal democratic political systems.

Explanation: The Radical Enlightenment, influenced by thinkers like Spinoza, strongly advocated for the abolition of religious authority and the promotion of secular governance.

Explanation: Enlightenment ideals fundamentally challenged the legitimacy of absolute monarchies and the authority of established churches, championing principles of liberty and individual rights.

Explanation: Locke posited that citizens possess the right to replace a government that consistently fails to protect their fundamental rights, such as life, liberty, and property.

Explanation: Locke's political philosophy was centered on natural law and individual rights, explicitly rejecting the divine right of kings.

Explanation: Hobbes famously characterized the state of nature as a 'war of all against all,' a condition of perpetual conflict and lack of cooperation.

Explanation: Hobbes argued that laws, whether natural or civil, require a sovereign authority for their enforcement to be effective.

Explanation: Locke's theory of the right to revolution, asserting that citizens may alter or abolish a government that infringes upon their fundamental rights, was highly influential.

Explanation: Hobbes famously described the state of nature as a condition of pervasive conflict, where life was 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and brief'.

Explanation: Hobbes maintained that the efficacy of any law, natural or civil, is contingent upon enforcement by a sovereign power.

Explanation: A. John Simmons highlights how early modern political theory's examination of the transition from political naturalism to anti-naturalism significantly influenced subsequent political thought.

Explanation: Locke argued that the primary purpose of government is to protect the inherent natural rights of its citizens, such as life, liberty, and property.

Explanation: Natural law is conceptualized as a system of morality and justice derived from the inherent order of the universe, accessible through human reason.

Explanation: Hobbes's seminal description of the state of nature is that it is characterized by constant conflict, leading to a life that is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and brief'.

Explanation: The era was characterized by significant developments in rationalism and the formulation of foundational theories in metaphysics and epistemology.

Explanation: Early modern thinkers distinguished between various concepts of infinity, including God's qualitative infinity and mathematical infinity, as well as actual and potential infinity.

Explanation: The distinction is reversed: actual infinity refers to a completed infinite set, while potential infinity refers to a process that can continue indefinitely.

Explanation: Leibniz and Spinoza, among others, explored the nuances between God's infinite nature and the abstract, mathematical concept of infinity.

Explanation: Individualism arose largely as a reaction against established belief and authority, challenging the integration of religious and political power structures.

Explanation: Individualism emerged significantly as a response to and critique of established religious doctrines, political structures, and traditional modes of authority.

Explanation: The increasing influence and economic power of the bourgeoisie challenged traditional hierarchies, contributing to the secularization of society and the eventual separation of church and state.