Even in the 7th and 6th centuries BC this region was far from isolated: there was extensive contact not only with Spain, Italy, and the rest of Greece, but with Persia, Babylonia, Egypt, India, China, and shamanistic peoples in central Asia as far away as Mongolia.ĭr. The author traces this Mediterranean mystical philosophy to Greek cities in Anatolia (today part of Turkey). Kingsley maintains that Parmenides was not only a profound philosopher and logician, but also a mystic, the twice-born follower of Apollo, god of initiation, prophecy, lawgiving, and the midnight sun. Writing in an easy style, the author gradually unriddles evidence about the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides, centering on the opening lines of his philosophical poem and archeological discoveries made in Velia, Italy, some forty years ago. Kingsley disputes this view, maintaining that Greek philosophy is deeply rooted in the mystical and experiential philosophies of the pre-Socratics, particularly the Pythagoreans. As in his earlier Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition (Oxford University Press, 1995), Dr.
Development of this rational mindset is often pictured as the culmination of Greek thought and its greatest contribution to mankind. Traditionally the West has traced its intellectual life back to ancient Greece, particularly to Athenian philosophy of the 4th century BC which emphasized intellectual discourse and logical analysis. Book Review: (book by Peter Kingsley) Book Review In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley, The Golden Sufi Center, Inverness, CA, 1999 270 pages, ISBN 189035010x, softcover, $12.95.
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