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Not all philosophical theories have had the same weight; some have been quickly forgotten, while others, out of date or not, continue to resonate in our conscience and help us to understand part of our experiences at specific moments. 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 had on Western culture hundreds of years before he existed.

The belief that the senses deceive us and that reality exists independently of our opinions and points of view was formulated in Plato’s theory of ideas at length, which distanced this thinker from the Sophists, who professed a relativism that was very convenient for doing business with courses in public speaking.

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 which they try to imitate.

2. Theory of Nietzsche’s eternal return

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche expressed his vitalist thought through his theory of the eternal return . This is based on the idea that the life to which we must aspire is the one we would like to see repeated infinitely, not only in relation to what happens around us, but also by including our thoughts and emotions in that 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. William James’ Pragmatic Theory

William James was not only one of the most important philosophers of his time, but 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 may be what leads us to die or to build up 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 fulfilled through our aspirations and beliefs.

5. Mary Wollstonecraft’s theory of equitable education

In the 18th century, common sense dictated that men and women should receive a different education to suit their different “natures”. This idea was challenged by Mary Wollstonecraft, who did something revolutionary: she challenged 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 early reference of 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 challenged 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 by 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 and start treating them as resources to obey a “common good”. This dynamic was opposed by 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, that does not mean that Rousseau believed that at some point in our history the absence of civilization had brought about 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 continues to be 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 built 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 on the knowledge fork. This states 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 former are always true, but tell us nothing about what is happening in nature, while the latter tell us about concrete aspects of our lives, but do not have to be true.

For Hume, it is necessary to know the limitations and the advantages of each of these two forms of knowledge in order not to mix them up and to reach conclusions that will make us fall into problems.

8. Spinoza’s metaphysical theory

Benedictus de Espinoza was one of the great philosophers of 17th 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 the elements of nature are equally sacred and spiritual, since they all 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 mysticism of the numbers of the Pythagoreans

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 consider that mathematics seems to describe the formal mechanics of the world: its laws apply at any time and in any place, so that it seems to create “the form” of matter.

10. Lao Tse’s theory of Tao

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