Who stole God from science: Part 2
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Who stole God from science: Part 2
A History of Science – From the era of great light to the beginning of the Dark Age – A Barren Period for Science
The monuments of Gobekli Tepe and the Great Pyramids are products of a way of living that held science, philosophy and religion as equal aspects of the magic of God. This way of living allowed the builders of these colossal monuments to connect to greater levels of wisdom and build structures that to this day cannot be replicated, even with our modern technology. These amazing structures are reminders of our heritage – our innate connection to what is described as the Ageless Wisdom.
In this series we explore the lineage of great scientists who have also accessed this wisdom and in doing so have contributed to what we take for granted as our scientific heritage.
Pythagoras was the first scientist recorded to have taught the science of the Ageless Wisdom through mathematics, astronomy, geometry, harmonics, medicine and numerology in a form that has survived the test of time and is still recognisable today. Much of the foundations of Pythagoras' great work were developed whilst he lived in Egypt and were most probably influenced by the works of Imohtep the Egyptian architect, statesman, polymath and healer[i] who in the 27th century BC also represented the Ageless Wisdom.
Pythagoras was born in Samos approximately 570 - 495 BC. His early life was spent travelling to many countries with his merchant father, he received a good education and played musical instruments such as the lyre. Pythagoras met the famous ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus who had helped ‘earth’ scientific reasoning to explain natural phenomena, at a time when these phenomena were attributed to the wrath or pleasure of the gods. The young Pythagoras was inspired by Thales’ love of mathematics and philosophy. Thales advised Pythagoras to travel to Egypt, as he himself had done, to further his studies. Pythagoras set off for Egypt where he studied astronomy and mathematics with Pherekydes and Anaximander. Pythagoras eventually became a priest, learning from the Egyptians much about science, philosophy, medicine and healing.
After approximately 10 years of living in Egypt, Pythagoras was captured by a group of invading Persians and held prisoner in Babylon for 5 years. On his release in 525 BCE, he returned to Samos and then travelled to (Croton) Italy where he set up a school that rapidly grew to a sizeable community dedicated to the Ageless Wisdom. Pythagoras, through his connection to truth and his dedication to humanity, gave us mathematical theorems, harmonics and numerology that linked scientific and metaphysical studies of that time. His work in geometry has endured to this day. He was the first reported scientist to have taught that the Earth was a planet and that it revolved around the Sun[ii].
Pythagoras not only established a school of philosophy and science but founded a way of living that profoundly influenced Plato and many others great scientists and philosophers who have followed, including Apollonius of Tyana, Hypatia of Alexandria, Leonardo da Vinci Copernicus, Galileo, and many others.
Much of what has been attributed to Plato throughout history – such as the Neo-Platonic movements in Alexandria and during the Italian renaissance - originally came from the teachings of Pythagoras and later through Plato.
This way of living founded by Pythagoras was deeply religious. Pythagoras taught that the Soul was the bridge for mankind to be able to connect to God and the rest of the Universe.
The movements of the planets and stars were precisely ordered and could be described using mathematics and harmonics. Pythagorean philosophy married science and religion together in a way that was seamless yet disciplined. The level of discipline lived by Pythagoras and his community was founded on the responsibility held by each individual to play their part in the whole, as reflected by the constellations of the planets and stars. Reincarnation was taught as being a blessing that allows an unfolding of this connection to one’s Soul and the way to develop consistency, life after life.
This profoundly disciplined and loving way as lived by the Pythagoreans, has been attributed with seeding political liberty and a harmonious, egalitarian way of life in many countries that were at that time, plagued with tyranny and corruption. It is not surprising that women were held as equals within the Pythagorean sect, something that was unheard of in most societies of that time. In this way, Pythagoras earthed the Ageless Wisdom for all of humanity during a period of violence and turmoil.
As we will see throughout history, the Ageless Wisdom has always been under attack from the forces of jealousy, arrogance and hatred, channelled through those who have rejected what is represented by its simplicity and truth. A former student of Pythagoras, fuelled by jealousy, headed an uprising against the Pythagoreans and set fire to the school, with 40 students reported to have perished. Pythagoras escaped with some of his followers and fled to another town where he is reported to have continued teaching, living until he was approximately 80 years old.
The extent of influence of the work of Pythagoras on science and philosophy is far reaching to this day and can be found throughout the fabric of our modern life, within every culture.
The Ageless Wisdom as taught by Pythagoras was carried on by others including Plato who lived in ancient Greece (428-328 BC) and founded the Academy of Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world. Plato studied the works and way of life of Pythagoras and brought great insights into the human condition, medicine, astronomy, philosophy and politics.
Plato presented that there are unseen energies at work that affect our physical life. Plato was holistic and taught that everything is connected to everything. He is considered by many to be the father of western philosophy. However others attribute this role to Pythagoras, whose teachings were Plato’s foundation.
Throughout history the Ageless Wisdom has also been reinterpreted to obscure or pervert its original form. Around 350 BC there was a change that profoundly affected science for the next 1800 years. William Whewell, a scholar from Cambridge in the 1800’s, studied the history of science and tracked the methods by which scientific discovery and development occurred throughout the ages. Whewell’s analysis of scientific philosophy and methods highlights a long period where no lasting scientific progress was made[iii]. This period of nearly 1800 years was initiated when Aristotle became a very prominent influence in science, after breaking away from the School of Athens set up by Plato.
The Origins of Arrogance and Supremacy within Science.
The purpose of some of the scientists of old, such as Pythagoras and Plato, was to provide an understanding of all aspects of life, not just the physical world, to the everyday person.
Aristotle was at least equal in intellect to his teachers, and yet Aristotle and those who followed his approach for centuries failed to make significant advances within science. This stands out as an obvious point of difference when compared to the volumes of scientific knowledge delivered by his earlier counterparts from the Platonic School or the earlier ancient Greeks such as Pythagoras, Archimedes or Euclid
Pythagoras and Plato made science accessible for those who were eager to learn, and held Divinity as central to all that was taught. In contrast, Aristotle maintained that knowledge was derived from the minds of men and that only select people should be able to access such knowledge.
Aristotle’s letters to Alexander the Great clearly show that both men were determined to control access to knowledge and were opposed to sharing the understanding, power and simplicity of science with humanity.
Aristotle’s method of scientific 'reasoning' became the dominant influence throughout the ancient world as Alexander the Great conquered large parts of the east and west, spreading Greek culture as well as Aristotelian philosophy to many parts of the known world[iv], burying for a time the work of Pythagoras and Plato. This philosophy would dominate science for nearly 1800 years, with the exception of those in the east such as the great scientist Hypatia who lived in Alexandria, Egypt 350-415 AD. Hypatia became the voice of the Ageless Wisdom, as had been Pythagoras before her.
We will explore her life in the next part of this series.
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Ageless Wisdom, God, Education, Pythagoras
