Stolen Legacy - Couverture souple

James, George G. M.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1585093483 ISBN 13 : 9781585093489

Editeur : Book Tree,US, 2012

Synopsis

George James was a professor at a small black college in Arkansas during the 1950s when he wrote this book. Originally from Guyana, he was an intellectual who studied African and European classics. He soon realized something was wrong with the way the history of philosophy had been documented by Western scholars. Their biggest mistake, according to James, was they had assumed philosophy had started with the Greeks. James had found that philosophy was almost entirely from ancient Egypt and that the records of this had not only been distorted but, in many cases, deliberately falsified. His conclusion was that there was no such thing as Greek philosophy because it was stolen from the Egyptians. As a result, this was one of the first books to be banned from colleges and universities throughout North America. Although opponents have eventually found some flaws, it remains a groundbreaking book to this day. Even the famous Greek historian from the 5th century, Herodotus, admitted that the Greeks had borrowed many important ideas and concepts from the Egyptians. These ideas covered not just philosophy, but also medicine, architecture, politics and more. The purpose of this book is to restore the truth about African contributions to higher thought and culture.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

"Stolen Legacy," by Dr. George G. M. James, is a controversial work first published in 1954. To the consternation of some, James dared to assert that the Greeks were not the authors of Greek philosophy, and that so-called Greek philosophy was in fact based upon the primary ideas and concepts borrowed-without acknowledgement-from the ancient Egyptians. Written during Dr. James tenure at the University of Arkansas, "Stolen Legacy" raises more thought-provoking questions and uncomfortable questions than it answers. Though many may disagree with James' findings, his book confirms the words of Solomon, "there is nothing new under the sun." Truth and wisdom has been in existence since time began. Greek culture learned much from the Egyptians. Alexander the Great and the Ptolemy dynasty were Greek, but they did not disturb the religion or the customs of the Egyptians, and indeed built magnificent new temples for the Egyptian gods. Ptolemy I, perhaps with advice from Demetrius of Phalerum, founded the Museum and Library of Alexandria, a key academic, literary, and scientific center which drew the top Greek scholars. In "Stolen Legacy," James shows how famous Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were heavily influenced by Egyptian culture, and how many of their teachings were what they had learned from the Egyptians.

Présentation de l'éditeur

In Stolen Legacy, James contested the hegemony of mainstream Western scholarship in the mid-20th century, a time when the so-called Greek miracle in philosophy and science had been assumed as a demonstrable fact for the previous 150 years. George G. M. James opposed this idea and presented a compelling case that challenged the very foundation of Western civilization, as he argued that the Greeks stole and plagiarized from North African teachers in the ancient Egyptian mystery system. Professor James indicated that the aim of the book was as follows: "[T]o show that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not the Greeks; but the people of North Africa, commonly called the Egyptians; and the praise and honour falsely given to the Greeks for centuries belong to the people of North Africa, and therefore the African Continent. Consequently this theft of the African legacy by the Greeks led to the erroneous world opinion that the African Continent has made no contribution to civilization, and that its people are naturally backward. This is the misrepresentation that has become the basis of race prejudice, which has affected all people of color".

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Book Tree,US
• Date d'édition: 2012
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1585093483
• ISBN 13: 9781585093489
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 204
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Allemagne