The strangest ideas of philosophers before Socrates (TOP 10 )

Ancient

Philosophers Were Just Making Stuff Up

(And Somehow Got Famous for It)

Ancient Greece: a land of olive oil, democracy, and dudes

who sat around thinking way too hard about stuff. While

everyone else was busy inventing the Olympics and getting

into wars, these guys were out here saying things like “What

if everything is just air?” and “Love and hate are battling for

control of your soul."

And somehow, instead of being told to shut up and get a job,

they became the founding fathers of philosophy. Here’s a

rundown of their wildest theories—spoiler alert: some of them

are so unhinged, they might actually be genius.

1- Thales – The “Everything is Water” Guy

Thales took one look at the world and said, “Yup, it’s

all just water.” He wasn’t talking about hydration or the

importance of drinking eight glasses a day—he literally

thought everything was made of water. Trees? Water.

Rocks? Water. You? Extra fancy water.

And his Earth model? Oh, just a frozen pancake

floating on an endless ocean. NASA must’ve missed

that one.

2- Anaximander – The First Guy to Say, “Trust Me,

Bro”

Anaximander wasn’t satisfied with water, so he went full

mystical energy mode. He decided the universe came from an

invisible, infinite, shape-shifting thing called the “Apeiron.”

What is that, you ask? No one knows. Not even Anaximander.

He just said, “It’s beyond human understanding.”

Basically, he pulled a “just believe me, dude” and got away

with it. Also, he somehow figured out that the Earth is round,

AND he had early ideas about evolution. Either this man was

an actual time Traveller, or he just got really lucky with his

guesses

.3- Anaximenes – The First Guy to Say “Just Breathe”

Thales had water; Anaximander had the mysterious

whatever-it-was, and then Anaximenes came in like:

“Guys, it’s obviously air.” Yep, he thought air was the

fundamental building block of the universe. How does

air turn into rocks, you ask. According to him, it just

squishes really hard until it becomes solid.

Basically, the man reinvented science but without the

science.

4- Pythagoras – The Original Nerd Cult Leader

Pythagoras took one look at math and said, “Oh yeah,

this is the meaning of life.” He believed numbers

controlled the universe, that everything was basically a

mathematical symphony, and that reality itself could be

explained through geometry.

Oh, and he started a full-on cult where his followers

worshipped numbers, didn’t eat beans (don’t ask), and

had to do very specific math problems to join. So,

basically, he invented AP Calculus but with more

chanting.

5- Heraclitus – The Human Existential Crisis

Heraclitus looked at the world and said, “Everything

sucks, change is inevitable, and fire is the only truth.”

The man invented nihilism before it was cool. He

believed life was just constant chaos, everything was in

a state of war, and even the universe was just one big,

cosmic dumpster fire.

His most famous Idea? “You can’t step in the same

river twice.” Deep, right? But also… what if you’re

wearing boots? Checkmate, Heraclitus.

6- Parmenides – The Guy Who Thought Reality Was

a Scam

Parmenides took one look at Heraclitus’ “everything

changes” theory and went, “Nah.” He believed nothing

ever changes and that all movement is an illusion.

So according to him, you think you’re getting older, but

you’re actually the same forever. You think you’re

walking, but nope, you’re not. Reality? Fake news. This

man, basically invented The Matrix 2,000 years before

Keanu Reeves.

7- Empedocles – The First Self-Help Guru (With a

Death Wish)

Empedocles decided the world is run by two forces:

Love (which brings things together) and Strife (which

rips everything apart). Sounds poetic until you realize

he meant literally everything—from human emotions to

dirt and rocks.

Also, he thought he was a god. How did he prove it? By

jumping into a volcano to show he was immortal.

Shockingly, the volcano disagreed.

8- Anaxagoras – The Science Guy Before Science

Existed

Anaxagoras was the first guy to say, “Hey, maybe

everything is made of tiny particles.” He called them

“Seeds,” which was adorable but scientifically useless.

He also thought the mind (Nous) was the driving force

behind everything—so basically, he was out here doing

neuroscience in 500 BC with no tools other than vibes.

9- Democritus – The Laughing Mad Scientist

Democritus believed the universe was made of tiny,

invisible things he called atoms. Everyone thought he

was insane. Turns out, he was actually right. It just took

science 2,000 years to catch up.

Also, he laughed at everything, so people called him

“The Laughing Philosopher.” Imagine predicting

atomic theory and still having time to be the funniest

guy in the room. Iconic.

10- Protagoras – The “Everything is Relative” Dude

Protagoras was the first guy to say, “There’s no

universal truth, it’s all about perspective.” He pointed

out that things people consider normal in one country

are weird in another (ex: opening gifts in front of

people are rude in China, but polite in the U.S.).

So basically, he was the first person to invent culture

shock AND moral relativism. Dude was out here

explaining internet arguments before the internet

existed.

In Conclusion: These Guys Were Either Geniuses or

Absolutely just Unhinged. These ancient philosophers really said, “Let’s just

throw out the wildest theories we can think of and see

what sticks.” And somehow… some of it actually did.

So maybe next time you come up with a ridiculous

idea, just remember to say it with enough confidence, It

could turn you to A founder of a whole new

philosophy