George G M James

In this beautifully designed special edition, Professor George G. M. James explains how the ancient Greeks learned a lot from the Egyptian priests and used that knowledge to develop their philosophy. The book features large, easy-to-read fonts for a comfortable reading experience. He talks about famous philosophers like Thales, Anaximander, Plato, and Socrates, who were seen as outsiders in Greece because they brought ideas influenced by Egypt. The book also compares what these philosophers taught with the teachings of the Egyptian Mystery System, which existed long before Greek philosophy. The main idea is that Greek philosophy didn't come from nowhere but was heavily influenced by Egyptian wisdom.

First published in 1954, "Stolen Legacy" is the thought-provoking and controversial book by George G. M. James, a Guyanese-American historian and author. James makes the argument that Greek philosophy originated in Ancient Egypt, rather than Greece and was stolen and used without acknowledgement by Greek philosophers. In support of his premise, James contends that when Alexander the Great invaded Egypt and sacked the Royal Library at Alexandria he stole many important Egyptian documents and these stolen ideas were then used by famous Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, without credit being given to the Egyptians. He also argues that Pythagorus and Plato studied in Egypt as evidence that their ideas were Egyptian in origin. While James's ideas were met with much skepticism when they were first published, many of his ideas have since influenced historians who have found Egyptian influences in many aspects of Greek culture and thought. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

In this bold and uncompromising book, George G. M. James argues that the "Greek philosophy" in which nearly all of Western culture has its roots actually originated in ancient Egypt Drawing on careful historical research and a radical rethinking of the conventional narrative of Greek history, James asserts that our celebration of the ancient Greeks as the creators of Western civilization and philosophy is misattributed. In fact, he argues, our praise rightfully belongs to the people of Africa. Furthermore, this massive intellectual and cultural theft has helped lend credence to the damaging notion that the entire continent of Africa has contributed nothing to world civilization. James explorers documented connections between celebrated Greek philosophers and the influence of Egyptian thought, proposing other possible links between northern Africa and Greece as well. An important book for understanding the history of philosophy, culture, and race in the modern world, Stolen Legacy is not to be missed.

George James was a professor at a small black college in Arkansas during the 1950s when he wrote this book. Originally from Guyana, he was an intellectual who studied African and European classics. He soon realized something was wrong with the way the history of philosophy had been documented by Western scholars. Their biggest mistake, according to James, was they had assumed philosophy had started with the Greeks. James had found that philosophy was almost entirely from ancient Egypt and that the records of this had not only been distorted but, in many cases, deliberately falsified. His conclusion was that there was no such thing as Greek philosophy because it was stolen from the Egyptians. As a result, this was one of the first books to be banned from colleges and universities throughout North America. Although opponents have eventually found some flaws, it remains a groundbreaking book to this day. Even the famous Greek historian from the 5th century, Herodotus, admitted that the Greeks had borrowed many important ideas and concepts from the Egyptians. These ideas covered not just philosophy, but also medicine, architecture, politics and more. The purpose of this book is to restore the truth about African contributions to higher thought and culture.

In Stolen Legacy, James contested the hegemony of mainstream Western scholarship in the mid-20th century, a time when the so-called Greek miracle in philosophy and science had been assumed as a demonstrable fact for the previous 150 years. George G. M. James opposed this idea and presented a compelling case that challenged the very foundation of Western civilization, as he argued that the Greeks stole and plagiarized from North African teachers in the ancient Egyptian mystery system. Professor James indicated that the aim of the book was as follows: " T]o show that the true authors of Greek philosophy were not the Greeks; but the people of North Africa, commonly called the Egyptians; and the praise and honour falsely given to the Greeks for centuries belong to the people of North Africa, and therefore the African Continent. Consequently this theft of the African legacy by the Greeks led to the erroneous world opinion that the African Continent has made no contribution to civilization, and that its people are naturally backward. This is the misrepresentation that has become the basis of race prejudice, which has affected all people of color".

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.