Top 10 Most Interesting Philosophical Theories

Some of the most original ideas created by the most important thinkers in history.

If anything has characterized philosophy throughout history, it has been the large number of paradigms of thought it has created.

Among the great thinkers the most original, brilliant and even crazy philosophical theories have been born, and many of them have left a mark in the history of philosophy.and many of them have left a mark on our way of interpreting reality and our personal relationships.

The 10 most relevant philosophical theories

Not all philosophical theories have had the same weight; some have been quickly forgotten, while others, outdated or not, continue to resonate in our consciousness, helping us to understand part of our experiences at certain times. We will now give a brief review of them.

Plato's Theory of Ideas

This ancient Greek philosopher is one of the most remembered for the influence he has had on Western culture hundreds of years before he existed.

The belief that the senses deceive us and that reality exists independently of our reality exists independently of our opinions and views was formulated and points of view was formulated in Plato's theory of ideas in an extensive form, which distanced this thinker from the sophists, who professed a relativism very convenient to do business with oratory courses.

On the other hand, this philosophical theory has its roots in the particular conception that Plato had of reality: for him, what really exists are perfect ideas of things, and what we usually understand by matter is nothing more than a mirage, an imperfect reflection of those essences that try to imitate.

2. Nietzsche's theory of eternal return

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche embodied his vitalist thought in his theory of eternal return.. This is based on the idea that the life we should aspire to is the one we would like to repeat infinitely, not only in relation to what happens around us, but also including our thoughts and emotions in this eternal loop.

3. The soul in the body, by René Descartes

Descartes was one of the main representatives of dualism, the doctrine according to which reality is composed of at least two elements of the same hierarchical category that are independent of each other.

This French thinker, in particular, extensively developed a theory according to which in every human being there is a body and a spiritual substance which directs it and which is the source of our consciousness.

4. Pragmatic theory of William James

William James was not only one of the most important philosophers of his time, he was also one of the founders of psychology as a science. One of his most revolutionary ideas was that our beliefs have a real effect on the kind of life we experience. Believing in one thing or another can be what leads us to die or to build very good standards of living. His way of thinking was a call to act as if our actions make a difference to allow this standard to be met by our aspirations and beliefs.

5. Mary Wollstonecraft's Theory of Equitable Education

In the 18th century, common sense dictated that men and women should be educated differently to suit their different "natures". This idea was challenged by Mary Wollstonecraft, who did something revolutionary: she questioned the idea that the fact that men and women behave differently means that this should be the case in all cases or even socially promoted.

Ultimately, this early feminist reference pointed out that, regardless of our Biological characteristics, we are all human beings and, by default, deserve equal treatment regardless of our biological characteristics. deserve equal treatment regardless of any discrimination..

6. Rousseau's theory of the good savage

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the greatest critics of the Enlightenment, and he questioned the idea that scientific progress would produce more social welfare in terms of human development and living standards for all. Instead, he pointed out that the creation of societies marked by the complexity of personal relationships and the creation of hierarchies and norms could be a step backwards.

For this thinker, the effect of the development of civilizations could make us stop taking into account the humanity of people. we stop taking into account people's humanity and start treating them as resources to obey a "common good". and start treating them as resources to obey a "common good". To this dynamic he opposed the idea of the good savage, embodied by children who, not having been fully socialized, would behave in a more ethical and purer way than adults corrupted by conventions, at least according to this author.

On the other hand, this does not mean that Rousseau believed that at some point in our history the absence of civilization brought peace. It is, in any case, a hypothetical situation that serves to exemplify the way in which, according to this philosopher, society brutalizes us.

Subsequently, the theory of the good savage has been highly criticized by great referents of evolutionary psychology, such as Steven Pinker. However, this idea remains a symbolic reference in our way of thinking.

7. Hume's fork

David Hume is probably the most important representative of the empiricist philosophy, according to which knowledge is constructed through our experiences and interactions with reality, and not so much through reflection and isolation.

One of his great contributions to history was his theory of the fork of knowledge. This states that knowledge is composed of demonstrative statements, which are self-evident, and others that are probabilistic and tell us about properties of the world around us. The former are fundamentally governed by formal logic, while the latter are generated by experience. The former are always true, but tell us nothing about what happens in nature, while the latter do tell us about specific aspects of our lives, but need not be true.

For Hume, it is necessary the limitations and advantages of each of these two forms of knowledge, so as not to mix them up and to arrive at the so as not to mix them up and reach conclusions that will get us into trouble.

8. Spinoza's metaphysical theory

Benedictus de Spinoza was one of the great philosophers of 17th century Europe, and he proposed a mystical vision of the world around us. His conception of the divine led him to advocate the idea that that all the elements of nature are equally sacred and spiritual, since they all and spiritual, since all of them form, at the same time, God. For Spinoza, the soul was not something exclusive to human beings, but was everywhere: in plants, rocks, landscapes, etc.

9. The Pythagorean Mystique of Numbers

The Pythagoreans were a Hellenic sect whose relationship with the world of mathematics went far beyond purely intellectual interest. They believed that everything in nature follows the rules of numbers, and that the essence of everything in nature follows the rules of numbers.and that the essence of all that exists lies in these elements. Thus, mathematics was conceived as the sacred element that structured matter and ideas.

This devotion to numbers and their relationships can be understood if we take into account that mathematics seems to describe the formal mechanics of the world: its laws apply at any time and in any place, so that they seem to create "the form" of matter.

10. Lao Tse's theory of the tao

Lao Tzu is one of the most influential figures in Chinese history, and for good reason; he developed a conception of nature that is based on the idea that everything flows as it should, without human intervention.. According to this philosophy, the desirable thing is not to interfere with the natural development of things, to moderate one's ambitions and to live with humility without leaving the path of virtue.