Ancient Wisdom In The Age Of The New Science

A groundbreaking, revisionist account of the importance of the history of philosophy to intellectual change - scientific, philosophical and religious - in seventeenth-century England.

Seventeenth-century England has long been heralded as the birthplace of a so-called 'new' philosophy. Yet what contemporaries might have understood by 'old' philosophy has been little appreciated. In this book Andrew Williams examines English attitudes to ancient philosophy in unprecedented depth, demonstrating the centrality of engagement with the history of philosophy to almost all educated persons, whether scholars, clerics, or philosophers themselves, and aligning English intellectual culture closely to that of continental Europe. Drawing on a vast array of sources, Levitin challenges the assumption that interest in ancient ideas was limited to out-of-date 'ancients' or was in some sense 'pre-enlightened'; indeed, much of the intellectual justification for the new philosophy came from re-writing its history. At the same time, the deep investment of English scholars in pioneering forms of late humanist erudition led them to develop some of the most innovative narratives of ancient philosophy in early modern Europe.

A critical revaluation of ancient spiritual systems long ignored or rejected because of their assumed incompatibility with science. Here are Swami Muktananda on the mind, Swami Prajnananda on Karma, Swami Kripananda on the Kundalini, Joseph Chilton Pearce on spiritual development, Jack Kornfield on Buddhism for Americans, Claudio Naranjo on meditation, and much more.

Excerpt from Future Life: In the Light of Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science Pointed Articles used by Ancient Nations to drive away Importunate Spirits. - Analogy between the Chinese Funeral tablet and the Roman Imagina. The Part taken by De parted Spirits in all Family Matters. - The Son's Duty to continue the Daily Ceremonial for the Happiness of his Deceased Father. How the Law provides Heirs for Men who have no Sons. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1906 Edition.

In an illuminating introduction to the volume, Robert Miner elucidates Vico's short but difficult work; at the same time, he allows the reader to assess the importance of that work, in absolute terms as well as relative to Vico's other writings and the work of his numerous interlocutors in the republic of letters. --

Is life simple, once we understand how it works, or is it so complicated only a nuclear physicist could understand it? The authors claim that life is simple, but only if we accept what we encounter with equanimity and are willing to replace old ideas with new ones that make more sense. Attachment, resistance, and emotional reactions are what make life difficult. Is there a personal God? Does Satan exist? Do politics have a role in the spiritual development of our world? What part does sex play in our spiritual development? This is not a "safe" book. The authors have answers for all these questions and more, but not all readers will agree with them. And that is as it should be, according to them. Their concepts of how life works, based on Ancient Wisdom teachings, will make you analyze, ponder over, and re-assess your entire belief system. The overall message is one of assurance. As one reader said, "It gave me hope. I never considered myself a spiritual person until I read this book." What is our purpose as humans? To become perfect. Perfection means graduating from the human realm to that of the Adepts or Mahatmas, becoming members of the Spiritual Hierarchy. Have you ever wished for a manual on how life works? You have found it. For some, perfection will come within a relatively short time. For others, in the far distant future. The choice is yours.

A true account of a turning point in medieval history that shaped the modern world, from “a superb storyteller” and the author of When Jesus Became God (Los Angeles Times). Europe was in the long slumber of the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire was in tatters, and the Greek language was all but forgotten—until a group of twelfth-century scholars rediscovered and translated the works of Aristotle. The philosopher’s ideas spread like wildfire across Europe, offering the scientific view that the natural world, including the soul of man, was a proper subject of study. The rediscovery of these ancient ideas would spark riots and heresy trials, cause major upheavals in the Catholic Church—and also set the stage for today’s rift between reason and religion. Aristotle’s Children transports us back to this pivotal moment in world history, rendering the controversies of the Middle Ages lively and accessible, and allowing us to understand the philosophical ideas that are fundamental to modern thought. “A superb storyteller who breathes new life into such fascinating figures as Peter Abelard, Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, William of Ockham and Aristotle himself.” —Los Angeles Times “Rubenstein’s lively prose, his lucid insights and his crystal-clear historical analyses make this a first-rate study in the history of ideas.” —Publishers Weekly