The 10 most interesting philosophical theories

If anything has characterized philosophy throughout history, it has been the large number of paradigms of thought that 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 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Not all philosophical theories have had the same weight; Some have been quickly forgotten, while others, out of date or not, continue to resonate in our consciousness, helping us to understand part of our experiences at certain times. Next we will give a brief review of them.

1. Plato's theory of ideas

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

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

On the other hand, this philosophical theory has its roots in Plato's particular conception 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.

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2. Nietzsche's Theory of Eternal Return

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche he embodied his vitalist thinking through his theory of the eternal return. This is based on the idea that the life to which we must aspire is the one that we would like to be repeated infinitely many times, not only in relation to what happens around us, but also including our thoughts and emotions in that loop eternal.

3. The soul in the body, by René Descartes

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

This French thinker, in particular, extensively developed a theory according to which in each human being there is a body and a spiritual substance that directs it and that 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, but also It was one of the founders of psychology as science. One of her 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. Her way of thinking was an appeal to act like our actions make a difference to allow this standard to be met thanks to our aspirations and beliefs.

5. Theory of Equitable Education by Mary Wollstonecraft

In the eighteenth century the common sentio dictated that men and women should receive a different education that suited their different "natures." This idea was challenged by Mary Wollstonecraft, who did something revolutionary: challenge the idea that the fact that men and women behave differently means that this should be the case in all cases or even promoted socially.

In short, this reference of the earliest feminism pointed out that, regardless of our biological characteristics, we are all human beings and by default we 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 the scientific progress produces more social welfare in terms of human development and standards of living for everyone. Instead, he pointed out that the creation of societies marked by the complexity of personal relationships and by the creation of hierarchies and norms could be a setback.

For this thinker, the effect of the development of civilizations could make let's stop taking into account the humanity of people and we begin to treat them as resources to obey a "common good". To this dynamic he opposed the idea of ​​the good savage, embodied by the boys and girls who, having not been socialized from the Everything, they would behave in a more ethical and purer way than the adults corrupted by the 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 has 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 widely criticized by great leaders 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 establishes that knowledge is composed of demonstrative statements, which are self-evident, and others that are probable and that 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 first s are always true, but they do not tell us anything about what happens in nature, while that the latter do speak to us about specific aspects of our lives, but they do not have to be certain.

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

8. Spinoza's metaphysical theory

Benedictus de Espinoza was one of the great philosophers of seventeenth-century Europe, and proposed a mystical vision of the world around us. His conception of the divine led him to defend the idea that all elements of nature are equally sacred 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, in rocks, in landscapes, etc.

9. The mystique of the Pythagorean 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 that exists is 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: their laws apply anytime, anywhere, so they seem to create "the shape" of the world. matter.

10. The Tao Theory of Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu is one of the most influential figures in Chinese history, and he is 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 own ambitions and to live with humility without straying from the path of virtue.

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