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`` Stolen Legacy, By George James, A Guyanese Historian And Author

Decent Essays

Throughout time, there have been deep misconceptions on who the fathers of philosophy and greatest contributors to civilization. In the 1954 book, Stolen Legacy, George James, a Guyanese historian and author, argued that the highly acclaimed Greek philosophy actually originated in ancient Egypt. James’ arguments on Ancient Egypt being the basis of Greek philosophy will be discussed as it relates to the goals of Egyptian theory of salvation and Egyptian Mystery system.
The Stolen Legacy begins with uncovering how the Egyptian’s held a Mystery System, which was the oldest in the world considered a Secret Order that required membership and pledged secrecy. Thus the Egyptians developed secret systems of writing and teaching that if forbade others from imitating their work. It was not until the Greeks were allowed into the temples that the invasion of Alexander the Destructor plundered the temples and libraries and allowed the Greeks to gain access to the ancient books. James further explains that this is where Aristotle built his school of thought and legacy. In essence, this explanation is the basis of James’ view.
The education of Egyptian priests and the legacy of the Mystery System show that Egypt was the source of higher education in the ancient world, futhermore, key Ionian and Italian philosophers— such as Pythagoras, Thales, Democritus—had obtained their education from Egyptian priests despite their acclaim as being the greatest philosophers to date. The teachings of

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