Learning serves for pleasure, for ornamentation, and for equipping oneself; it brings the most pleasure when we are alone and withdrawn; we adorn conversations with what we have read, and we equip ourselves for conducting business. Experienced individuals can handle, and perhaps assess, each individual detail; but for general advice, planning, and skillful management of … Read more
The ant is a wise creature for itself, but a pest in an orchard or garden. And indeed, people who are great narcissists cause harm to the state. Distinguish self-love from love for society; and be so honest with yourself that you are not dishonest with others, especially not with your king and homeland. It … Read more
This is how I understand goodness: it strives for the common good of all humans, what the Greeks call philanthropy, which is inadequately expressed by the word humanity (as it is used). I call goodness a habit, and good nature a predisposition. As a divine attribute, Goodness is the greatest of all virtues and dignities … Read more
They say that philosophy is impractical and serves no purpose. However, we will respond to that: big questions, big uncertainties… where can we find answers to them? What do we do with what suddenly overwhelms us when we find ourselves alone with ourselves: why life, why death, why pain, why do we age, why do … Read more
According to Indian tradition, their authors were ancient sages, known as rishis, whose wisdom was transmitted orally from teacher to student. This is indicated by the very word upa-ni-sad, upa (beside), ni (down), sad (to sit), which signifies a student sitting at the feet of a teacher and receiving his teachings. Another interpretation takes the … Read more
Beauty of the world is the shine of God’s face. Art is the field where the cultural change of the Renaissance is most evident. We can observe a complete renewal of the main arts, which we still today refer to as the fine arts, including painting, sculpture, and architecture. If we stay in Italy, Leonardo … Read more
It is commonly believed that the Egyptians did not have philosophy and that philosophy began with the ancient Greeks. However, some of the greatest Greek philosophers, including Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato, have stated that they owe much of their knowledge and ideas to the Egyptian sages. For example, Plato spent thirteen years studying under Egyptian … Read more
There is an old Eastern proverb that says: The past is now, as is the future, which, although not yet in existence, already is. According to the Eastern view of time, reality exists outside the framework of time, and what we experientially perceive as separate phases are actually parts of the simultaneous reality. This is … Read more
In his remarkable work Ancient Mexicans, Miguel Angel Portillo expresses the depth and complexity of Aztec thought and demonstrates how there is an entire philosophy within their codes, oral tradition, and sacred buildings. Their ideas encompass a whole magical-rational conception of the divine and the abstract. This includes the causes of natural events (metaphysics), the … Read more
Interview with Delija Steinberg Guzmán, President of the International New Acropolis What is the connection between philosophy and Nature? If we understand philosophy in the widest possible sense as the love for wisdom, we must include all the laws of Nature in this wisdom. We cannot ignore these laws; what we need to do is … Read more
