My OperaHistory Of Psychology...
Friday, April 12, 2013 8:41:37 PM
Well i have heard that history is a dry subject but if you read it like a story then it is interesting.Well here we go:
I. ANCIENT EGYPT (664BC-554BC)
Egypt was known for its Egyptian Mystery System or set of secret doctrines, since knowledge was power in those days. Only the privileged few had access to knowledge and they kept this knowledge secret and passed most of it on in secret societies.
The Egyptians are also reported to have been prolific writers, but few knew how to translate their writing system of Hieroglyphics and Coptic. It has only been in recent decades that Egyptologists were able to understand the early writings.
A great philosophical text developed by an Egyptian scholar is The Kybalion - written by Hermes Trismegistus. It is considered the Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. Trismegistus was known as the "scribe of the gods." He was also known as the father of the occult wisdom, the founder of astrology and the discoverer of alchemy. The Egyptians deified Hermes, and made him one of their gods, under the name of Thoth. Years later, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their many gods, calling him "Hermes, the god of Wisdom."
The Kybalion is described as the fundamental and basic teachings embedded in the esoteric teachings of every race. It is claimed that even the most basic teachings in India, Persia, China, Japan, Assyria, and Rome; as well as other ancient countries, have their roots in the original hermetic teachings.
The earliest scientific knowledge came from the Egyptians-although there exists almost no written records of their scientific contributions until recently with the work and study of Egyptologists and their success at understanding hieroglyphics, the ancient writing system of the Egyptians, along with Coptic writing. In most philosophy and history of psychology textbooks, you will see credit being given solely to the Greeks.
Three such works that document through careful research and study the contributions of Egyptians to science and philosophy are:
1. Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James (1954). San Francisco: Julian Richardson Associates.
2. From Ancient Africa to Ancient Greece: An Introduction to the History of Philosophy by Dr. Henry Olela (1981).
Atlanta, GA: The Select Publishing Corporation.
3. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization (The Fabrication of Ancient Greece-1785-1985,
Volume 1), by Martin Bernal (1987). New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
According to the first two scholars, there is evidence that Egyptians laid the foundation for scientific knowledge. Further, they indicate that much of Greek knowledge was borrowed from Egypt; especially after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, and the seizure and looting of the Royal Library at Alexandria.
According to Bernal (1987), Greece had a distinctive and mixed culture, with much learned and practiced from the Egyptians; and many lived in Greece with Egyptian ancestry. The Greek religion also is reported to have a largely Egyptian base.
Further, it is known, that many of the early Greek philosophers studied in Egypt and brought back interpretations of their knowledge to Greece. Namely, Thales, (a physicist) who was the first to go into Egypt and bring back scientific knowledge into Greece. Also, Pythagoras, a pupil of Thales who studied in Egypt and Babylon. Pythagoras was a musician and mathematician. He studied for 34 years. Pythagoras like Euclid is given credit for what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem -- first formulated by Thales.
Therefore, the history of psychology begins with ancient Egypt.
I. ANCIENT EGYPT (664BC-554BC)
Egypt was known for its Egyptian Mystery System or set of secret doctrines, since knowledge was power in those days. Only the privileged few had access to knowledge and they kept this knowledge secret and passed most of it on in secret societies.
The Egyptians are also reported to have been prolific writers, but few knew how to translate their writing system of Hieroglyphics and Coptic. It has only been in recent decades that Egyptologists were able to understand the early writings.
A great philosophical text developed by an Egyptian scholar is The Kybalion - written by Hermes Trismegistus. It is considered the Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece. Trismegistus was known as the "scribe of the gods." He was also known as the father of the occult wisdom, the founder of astrology and the discoverer of alchemy. The Egyptians deified Hermes, and made him one of their gods, under the name of Thoth. Years later, the people of Ancient Greece also made him one of their many gods, calling him "Hermes, the god of Wisdom."
The Kybalion is described as the fundamental and basic teachings embedded in the esoteric teachings of every race. It is claimed that even the most basic teachings in India, Persia, China, Japan, Assyria, and Rome; as well as other ancient countries, have their roots in the original hermetic teachings.
The earliest scientific knowledge came from the Egyptians-although there exists almost no written records of their scientific contributions until recently with the work and study of Egyptologists and their success at understanding hieroglyphics, the ancient writing system of the Egyptians, along with Coptic writing. In most philosophy and history of psychology textbooks, you will see credit being given solely to the Greeks.
Three such works that document through careful research and study the contributions of Egyptians to science and philosophy are:
1. Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James (1954). San Francisco: Julian Richardson Associates.
2. From Ancient Africa to Ancient Greece: An Introduction to the History of Philosophy by Dr. Henry Olela (1981).
Atlanta, GA: The Select Publishing Corporation.
3. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization (The Fabrication of Ancient Greece-1785-1985,
Volume 1), by Martin Bernal (1987). New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
According to the first two scholars, there is evidence that Egyptians laid the foundation for scientific knowledge. Further, they indicate that much of Greek knowledge was borrowed from Egypt; especially after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, and the seizure and looting of the Royal Library at Alexandria.
According to Bernal (1987), Greece had a distinctive and mixed culture, with much learned and practiced from the Egyptians; and many lived in Greece with Egyptian ancestry. The Greek religion also is reported to have a largely Egyptian base.
Further, it is known, that many of the early Greek philosophers studied in Egypt and brought back interpretations of their knowledge to Greece. Namely, Thales, (a physicist) who was the first to go into Egypt and bring back scientific knowledge into Greece. Also, Pythagoras, a pupil of Thales who studied in Egypt and Babylon. Pythagoras was a musician and mathematician. He studied for 34 years. Pythagoras like Euclid is given credit for what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem -- first formulated by Thales.
Therefore, the history of psychology begins with ancient Egypt.
