Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy
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- Create Date：2021-04-19 14:55:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：George G.M. James
- ISBN：1635610575
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Summary
Challenging the notion that civilization started in Greece， this uncompromising classic attempts to prove that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not Greeks but Egyptians。 The text asserts that the praise and honor blindly given to the Greeks for centuries rightfully belong to the people of Africa， and argues that the theft of this great African legacy led to the erroneous world opinion that the African continent has made no contribution to civilization。 Quoting such celebrated Greek scholars as Herodotus， Hippocrates， Aristotle， Thales， and Pythagoras， who admit to the influence of Egyptian studies in their work， this edition sheds new light on traditional philosophical and historical thought。 Originally published in 1954， this book features a new introduction。
Reviews
Corey Burton
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In writing this text， the author suggests the need for "a worldwide dissemination of the truth， through a system of re-education， in order to stimulate and encourage a change in the attitude of races toward each other。"This was a hard read。 The content was challenging， his writing style was an adjustment， but the most difficult part （which I enjoyed thoroughly） was challenging what I had "learned" about philosophy。 As the title suggests， the narrative of the Greeks playing such a dominant role i In writing this text， the author suggests the need for "a worldwide dissemination of the truth， through a system of re-education， in order to stimulate and encourage a change in the attitude of races toward each other。"This was a hard read。 The content was challenging， his writing style was an adjustment， but the most difficult part （which I enjoyed thoroughly） was challenging what I had "learned" about philosophy。 As the title suggests， the narrative of the Greeks playing such a dominant role in shaping the world philosophically， without mention of the influence Egyptian （Black） knowledge and culture had， is very misleading。 This exclusion is to the detriment of African peoples worldwide and perpetuates various stigmas that preserve racist ideologies。 In challenging how history has been told and encouraging a more honest detailing of history， George G。 M。 James professes the following: "It really signifies a mental emancipation， in which the Black people will be liberated from the chain of traditional falsehood， which for centuries has incarcerated them in the prison of inferiority complex and world humiliation and insult。" "We are all victims of the same chain of the traditional falsehood， that has incarcerated the modern world。" I agree with this quote because the more that historical accounts are twisted and told to benefit those in power and who can control the narrative， the longer it will take for people to accept one another as peers honestly and openly。 。。。more
George Papanikolaou
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My notes:-The book is poorly written but it's existence and content are truly important。 Poorly written only because it repeats certain information。 One would say that important information has to be repeated。 I digress。。。 It would have been sufficient and pleasant enough to read the first and last chapters， specifically pages 7-14 and 158 - 166。-The jist of the book is the author's philosophy of African redemption which consists of the following proposition: 'The Greeks were not the authors of My notes:-The book is poorly written but it's existence and content are truly important。 Poorly written only because it repeats certain information。 One would say that important information has to be repeated。 I digress。。。 It would have been sufficient and pleasant enough to read the first and last chapters， specifically pages 7-14 and 158 - 166。-The jist of the book is the author's philosophy of African redemption which consists of the following proposition: 'The Greeks were not the authors of Greek philosophy， but the Black people of North Africa， The Egyptians"。 In order to internalize the significance of this proposition， one has to accepts as truths， the information presented in Chapters 1 to 8， i。e pages 15 to 157。It's difficult to accept the above information as the truth if it's presented to one for the first time。 Especially if they are Greek， and even more so if they are a "proud" Greek - i。e proud of something uttered by grey-haired， half-naked street wanderers。 In case you are wondering， I am not so much a "proud" Greek， but proud of all the things I've done （conincidentally in the name of the nation）， that were both hard and at the same time brought joy and unity among others and myself。-The significance of the aforementioned proposition lies in the fact that it is a statement of an important truth， which is the exposure of Greek dishonesty。Are you triggered already？ Well。。。-The mystery system of the African Continent gave the world philosophy， religion， arts and sciences， but praise is falsely given to the Greeks。 Something that has blindfolded the world and has laid the foundation for the deplorable race relations of the modern world。 Some relatable examples （among a myriad of them referenced in the book）:a。The theorem of the square of the hypotenus of a right angled triangle should't be called Pythagorean， because it wasn't he who thought of it first。 It was first thought of by Black Africans who taught Pythagoras during his studies in Egypt。 （Funnily enough， Pythagoras had to be circumcised in order to advance to the later stages of his education）b。Socrates obtained the 'man know thyself' precept from the Egyptian temples where it was used as an inscription。c。Plato reduced the ten virtues of the North African Mystery system （i。 control of thoughts， ii。 control of actions， iii。 devotion of purpose， iv。 faith in the ability of the master to teach the truth， v。 faith in oneself to assimilate the truth， vi。 faith in oneself to wield the truth， vii。 freedom from resentment under the experience of persecution， viii。 freedom from resentment under experience of wrong， ix cultivation of the ability to distinguish right and wrong， x。 cultivation of the ability to distinguish between real and unreal） to four: the virtues of wisdom， fortitude， justice and temperance。-The result of this dishonesty has been the creation of an erroneous world opinion that the African continent has made no contribution to civilization， because her people are backward and low in intelligence and culture。 This erroneous opinion about the Black people has injured them trhough the centuries up to modern times when it appears to have reached a climax in the history of human relations。-Missionary enterprise has been responsible for a positive injury against the African people， which consists of the perpetual caricature of African culture in literature and exhibitions which provoke laughter and disrespect。-Both white and black people have been the common victims of miseducation arising from a false tradition about the African Continent and it has caused them to develop attitudes according to their common belief: The white people; a superiority complex and the black people; the corresponding inferiority complex。 Both groups have to combine their efforts in the abandonment and destruction of that mentality which has plunged the Black people into their social plight。In conclusion， the author is asking for something tremendous: -A change in world opinion and attitude， for all people and races to accept the philosophy of African redemption， which is the truth that the Greeks were not the authors of Greek philosophy but the people of North Africa， and consequently to chage their opinion from one of disrespect to one of respect for the Black people throughout the world and treat them accordingly。Tough stuff。。。 。。。more
Koszka
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This book blew my mind and is a must read for anyone interested in philosophy， history， culture etc。 It's honestly a must read for everyone， since we're all taught in school about "Greek" philosophy and "Pythagorean" theorem。 This book blew my mind and is a must read for anyone interested in philosophy， history， culture etc。 It's honestly a must read for everyone， since we're all taught in school about "Greek" philosophy and "Pythagorean" theorem。 。。。more
Richard Artis
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I grew up overseas in the military and life was very isolated from the rest of the world。 This book was the first book to open my eyes to the wake of the destruction of colonialism。 African people （and many other cultures） still suffer today by the propagating of lies written in the history books。 It is because of this book that I started digging deeper to find the real truth that has been buried over the centuries。
Chizauz
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Love this book
Michael
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One of the greatest books I’ve ever read。 This should be mandatory reading in all high schools。
Wysteria Campion
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There is no way for me to know if what the author is saying is true。 It's full of assertions and allegations I've never heard before， while also never bringing substantial evidence to back up these claims。 There are bad logical arguments such as: If you have war you cannot have native philosophy/philosophers。 There was war in ancient Greece。 Therefore， there were no philosophy/philosophers。 This implies that any nation that has ever had a philosopher publish something during a time of war， stole There is no way for me to know if what the author is saying is true。 It's full of assertions and allegations I've never heard before， while also never bringing substantial evidence to back up these claims。 There are bad logical arguments such as: If you have war you cannot have native philosophy/philosophers。 There was war in ancient Greece。 Therefore， there were no philosophy/philosophers。 This implies that any nation that has ever had a philosopher publish something during a time of war， stole that philosophy from somewhere else。 This also assumes that the philosophy "stolen" from the "original" place was created in a country that has never had war。 If it doesn't assume that， then the "original" country stole that philosophy from somewhere else！This book essentially dismantles one of the principles of hermeneutics: we can’t hold a modern standard of quality or completeness to an ancient text。 It's just not possible。 This book also basically ignores the concept that if you put an idea in a box and never expose it to anything， it will never grow。 Ideas are sticky。 You roll them in other ideas， and your original idea grows， but also takes a more defined shape。 We would have no philosophy if we didn't have shared knowledge。 Now， is this me defending plagiarism？ No， of course not。 But we should give authors the benefit of the doubt until substantial proof arises。 Again， my biggest qualm with this book， is that there is no proof， only bad logic and assertions。 I truly don't know if the Greeks copied the Egyptians。 This book certainly never proved it to me。 I'm willing to admit that there should be research on this， but this book is not the end all be all of that research。I'm in no way suggesting that the Egyptians or other African peoples were not amazing philosophers。 It even says in the Bible that the Egyptians were wise （1 Kings 4:30）。 I'm also not suggesting that the Greeks didn't borrow from them or more。 Apparently， according to Egypt and the Exodus by Charles F。 Pfeiffer， Plutarch's writings preserved myths of Osiris。 There is a lot of nuance to this situation， and I just feel like this book raises more accusations and questions and doesn't give adequate proof or sources to leave the reader with any knowledge that what they read is the truth。 。。。more
Isaiah
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The author has done an excellent job dispelling common myths about the origins of Greek Philosophy。 While most of B。C history has been either carefully hidden or blatantly avoided by historians and scholars alike， Mr。 James gives the reader a clear picture on what really went down during the days of the Greek philosophers with solid arguments and a plethora of sources to back it up。 I would recommend the book for anyone wishing to not only learn more about Egypt’s connection with Greece， but als The author has done an excellent job dispelling common myths about the origins of Greek Philosophy。 While most of B。C history has been either carefully hidden or blatantly avoided by historians and scholars alike， Mr。 James gives the reader a clear picture on what really went down during the days of the Greek philosophers with solid arguments and a plethora of sources to back it up。 I would recommend the book for anyone wishing to not only learn more about Egypt’s connection with Greece， but also for anyone who is seeking out the truths of our history that have been concealed all this time。 。。。more
Mandilakhe Donyeli
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Wow。 Incredible book。 It details the account of how the Greek Philosophy was stolen from the Egyptian Mystery System。 And how Africa is the origin of all western civilization。 Socrates， Plato， Aristotle and all the pre-Socratic philosophers are given all the credit when they were taught and stole everything they knew in Africa。
Whitlaw Tanyanyiwa Mugwiji
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Stolen legacy seeks to correct the falsehoods that Africa contributed nothing to world civilisation。 The author argues that Greeks appropriated （African） Egyptian philosophy， arts and science as their own。 He contends that many of the ancient Greek scholars were educated in either in Egypt or in Egyptian mystery Schools that were everywhere in the Mediterranean。 Many of these scholars were charged with the offence of bringing in foreign gods and as a result they were exiled and an unlucky few li Stolen legacy seeks to correct the falsehoods that Africa contributed nothing to world civilisation。 The author argues that Greeks appropriated （African） Egyptian philosophy， arts and science as their own。 He contends that many of the ancient Greek scholars were educated in either in Egypt or in Egyptian mystery Schools that were everywhere in the Mediterranean。 Many of these scholars were charged with the offence of bringing in foreign gods and as a result they were exiled and an unlucky few like Socrates were executed。 Firstly， if the philosophy they were teaching was indigenous， they would not have been accused of bringing in foreign gods。 Secondly， there is physical evidence that links Greece to Ancient Egypt， like Socrates' famous statement "know thy self " has been found engraved in Egyptian temples。 Aristotle's four virtues is taken from mastery's ten virtues。 One of the world's biggest heist occurred when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and confiscated books and other important things from the temples across Egypt but more specifically in Alexandria and in Memphis where there were bigger temples。 We are informed that Alexander the great gave Aristotle money to build a library in Alexandria。 We can use conjecture that many of the books in this library were Egyptian books。 We must remember that Egyptian civilisation had begun 4200 years prior to this invasion hence they had acquired a lot of knowledge through the ages。 After Aristotle set up this library we are informed that he wrote between 400 to 1000 books covering a wide range of subjects。 A fit that is humanly impossible， now and then。 George James alleges that a majority of the books attributed to Aristotle were simply translated Egyptian books into Greek。 This is a great read and the books provides sources for further reading from some leading classical historians and some ancient Greek historians。 The only short coming is that the book assumes that the reader is well versed with the fact that ancient Egypt was inhabited by black people。 What the book seeks to do is to make Africans proud of their past and hopefully knowing this past should help in forging better relations between the races。 A powerful contribution to history which should make Egypt to black Africa what Greece is to Europe。 。。。more
Al3s
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we wuz kings
Lala
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Great Read！！！I liked this book because it speaks to me on a spiritual level。 I got to take a trip back in my ancestors time and witness the beauty of my people。
Ferlin Pedro
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Interesting arguments， but often poorly expressed。 There are many fallacies committed。 And the history presented is often unsubstantiated by evidence。 There are occasional citations， but they do not lend credence to the claims that come before and after those references once looked up。 I hardly see how this book can bridge race relations when it uses words like "stole" and "no such thing as Greek philosophy"。 Of course there is Greek philosophy， and other philosophies of the ancient world not li Interesting arguments， but often poorly expressed。 There are many fallacies committed。 And the history presented is often unsubstantiated by evidence。 There are occasional citations， but they do not lend credence to the claims that come before and after those references once looked up。 I hardly see how this book can bridge race relations when it uses words like "stole" and "no such thing as Greek philosophy"。 Of course there is Greek philosophy， and other philosophies of the ancient world not limited to the Greeks。 。。。more
Divine
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Professor James is The light of truth showing and proving how the ancient Africans of the Nile Valley， over a period of at least 3 thousand years discovered the sciences and disciplines of education， not the Greeks。 There is no way the Greeks could have amassed all that knowledge in only a few years。 Professor James provided extensive research and demonstrated his truth。
C Danny
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A true classic by any definition。 A must for anyone wanting to establish some sense of historical balance and clarity。
Jhmal
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That Africa is the birthplace of knowledge and civilizationI love the organization of the book。 The author really gives a visual timeline of events and all of his points connect together perfectly。
Ian Schultz
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Should be 2 stars， the writing is hard to read。 Grammatical and punctuation errors abound。 But the info is fantastic so I gave it an extra star。
Stephen Sauls
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The real historyGives the reader many unknown or hidden facts that sets so-called common knowledge on it's ear。 It really makes you want to study African and Greek history。 Which culture actually made the history attributed to others？ It points out how we have been bamboozled by early historians。 The real historyGives the reader many unknown or hidden facts that sets so-called common knowledge on it's ear。 It really makes you want to study African and Greek history。 Which culture actually made the history attributed to others？ It points out how we have been bamboozled by early historians。 。。。more
Keith Kizzie
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Real Discovery！
Kia
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This book completely blew my mind。 Unfortunately， I sound like a conspiracy theorist when I try to discuss its contents with people who aren’t familiar with the author’s thesis。 It would be wonderful if someone could write an updated edition with new facts that surely have emerged since the early 20th cent。
Oliver Harper
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This revelation was experienced with pride and provided a context for understanding what racial survival constitutes within western societal foundations。 The creation of literature and how it can be uses as a weapon of colonization while denying the truth and establishing fiction。 When lies are well stated the truth then becomes unbelievable。
Rafael Suleiman
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A true classic of Black scholarship。
J。P。
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Decent read， but very short。 It tackles how various religious beliefs， discoveries & ways of life were stolen from Africans & attributed to Europeans。 Controversial for sure but given how white supremacy functions， it is unlikely significant time is dedicated to getting all the facts straight by anyone other than black authors & the average person doesn't have access to primary sources。 Most of it makes sense & appeared to be backed up by historical facts that are intentionally obscured or outri Decent read， but very short。 It tackles how various religious beliefs， discoveries & ways of life were stolen from Africans & attributed to Europeans。 Controversial for sure but given how white supremacy functions， it is unlikely significant time is dedicated to getting all the facts straight by anyone other than black authors & the average person doesn't have access to primary sources。 Most of it makes sense & appeared to be backed up by historical facts that are intentionally obscured or outright omitted。Definitely good as a starting point but investigating sources from other black authors who may have been able to be more thorough， Cheikh Ante Diop comes to mind， is definitely necessary。 Overall， it's a good book。 。。。more
محمد جلال الأزهرى
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"وضيف كمان ، "أثينا إفريقية" لــ "مارتن بنوبونال "وضيف كمان ، "أثينا إفريقية" لــ "مارتن بنوبونال 。。。more
Gwen Lester-Cunningham
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I learned some new information， which is always a good thing。 However， this book seems to have been written more for teachers than mere readers。
William L。 Whiting
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Interesting hypothesisToo few references and lacks quotes of the few references to really prove his hypothesis。 Interesting though。 Very repetitive causing loss of interest。 In the end， seemed to have an agenda which soured the interesting book。
Kent
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A great scholarly writing that clearly describes how the Mystery Systems of Kemet/Egypt were misappropriated in antiquity。 I strongly urge everyone to read this book soonest。
Kareem
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Great book。 Greek mythology came from Egyptians basically。
Sherianna Donye Johnson
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Great bookI love it， it really taught me about my history and those of many others。 Awesome， fabulous， amazing， wonderful， gorgeous
Katherine
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