It was our friends who created the theory of ideas. But we must follow the view that saving the truth requires sacrificing our preferences, especially since we too are philosophers. You can love friends and the truth; but the most honest thing is to give preference to the truth.
Aristotle
Paradigms change over time, because the vocation to know requires, sooner or later, to revise models that were considered acceptable and even certain. The history of philosophy is, in this sense, a story of contradictions, complementary looks and transformations. It can be said that until the end of the 17th century, philosophy was, in general terms, constructive metaphysical. But in the 17th century there is a central criticism that affects the rational feelings of all the philosophical knowledge developed so far. This stage will end with positivism which, in effect, will deny any possibility of access to metaphysical knowledge. It is true that a truce will take place, however, in the hands of German idealism... but beyond this, the forceful rejection of metaphysics will imply a sustained practical negation of philosophical activity. The next step will be the criticism of the irrational assumptions of reason, authors like Marx or Nietzche, could lead us to postulate the definitive sunset of philosophy.
However, this would be a hasty reading. Philosophical activity does not cease, but even increases.
And much of the philosophical production would express the need to find a new paradigm. Habermas will speak of postmetaphysical thinking, for example. In other cases, there are frequent references to the idea of postmodernity, which would be characterized by a loss of confidence in rational discourse.
Finally, we believe that beyond what these new currents propose in themselves, these ideas exhibit the need to find a new discourse and yet a new form of rationality. Because this is precisely what philosophy is about: to question again and again, to take up the same questions. The discovery of truth that Aristotle was already passionately defending, seems never to come to an end. It is therefore possible to think that the search is satisfactory and valuable in itself.
