Page 49 - STOLEN LEGACY By George G. M. James

(ii) The Theory of Knowledge

Since sense-knowledge, or knowledge derived from the senses is illusion, it must be avoided,
and true knowledge sought for in the perception of the underlying unity of the various opposites.
This is possible for man, who is part of the all comprehending Fire, which underlies the
Universe.
But in the doctrine of the upward and downward paths, true knowledge comes from the upward
path which leads to the eternal Fire; whereas folly and death are the result of following the
downward path.

(iii) The Doctrine of the Logos

That the hidden harmony of nature ever reproduces concord from oppositions, that the divine law
(dikē) or universal reason (logos) rules all things; and that the primitive essence recomposes
itself anew in all things according to fixed laws, and is again restored by them. (Zeller's History
of Philosophy p. 68). (A. B. Turner's History of Philosophy p. 66–77). (Zeller's History of
Philosophy p. 66–71). (William Turner's History of Philosophy p. 53–58).

(b) The Life and Teachings of Anaxagoras

Anaxagoras, a native of Clazomenae, in Ionia, is supposed to have been born in 500 B.C. Like all
the other philosophers, nothing is known about his early life and education. He comes into
history through a visit to Athens, where he met and made the friendship of Pericles, and where
he was charged with impiety. He however escaped from prison and fled back to his home in
Ionia where he died in 430 B.C.

His doctrines included the following:

(i) Nous i.e., mind alone is self-moved, and is the cause of motion in everything in the universe,
and has supreme power over all things. (William Turner's History of Philosophy, p. 63); (Zeller's
Hist. of Phil. p. 85; 86).

(ii) Sensation is produced by the stimulation of opposites. We experience the sensation of cold,
because of the heat in us, and we experience a sweet taste because of the sour in us. (Wm.
Turner's Hist. of Phil. p. 64; Theophrastus: de Sensu, Fragment 27: Zeller's Hist. of Phil. p. 86).
N.B.

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Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy by George G. M. James
The Journal of Pan African Studies 2009 eBook