*Dear Comrade Roy, I don't think I can thank you enough for your posting, on Plato and Aristotle, below.
It has really enlightened me. And I was ignorant of the fact that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah alerted us/addressed this issue of these two arch-reactionaries. I had never appreciated that present day imperialism, slavery, eugenics etc.... are just a continuation of what was laid down by Plato and Aristotle. A Justice that is only for slave masters is indeed a cruel sham. I knew that the likes of Euclid, Eudoxus etc.... got their Mathematics from Egypt, and that Aristotle so totally distorted Eudoxus' Astronomy with his nonsense of "angels dragging 'planets through the sky'. It is really annoying. In fact, Aristotelian Mechanics distorted and held back human understanding of Celestial Mechanics for 2000 years. Aristotle was a disaster in this regard. It is Galileo who pulled humanity out of the infantile distortions of Aristotle. I have always had the view that Aristotle's only redemption was Aristotelian logic. Little did I know that it is, both Plato and Aristotle who are the villains who bequeathed eugenics, slavery, European arrogance and racism; and a bizarre so-called democracy - a democracy of slave masters !! A democracy that is no different from Israel apartheid or the "democracy" of Apartheid South Africa or even the settlers' USA/Canada democracy of exterminating indigenous populations. An extermination that is still going on today. Now I see the origins of our pain and tribulations, and of the evil of the Anglo-Saxon that seems to be part of his genetic make up. NB. I am convinced that the explosions back home in Uganda were the work of the CIA. The vests for explosives are similar to those both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Made in the USA. It is to terrorise the whole of Africa into a stampede; like our cause and that of Anglo-Saxon imperialism are the same. And of course, to steal our oil reserves. **Again, thank you Brother Roy.* * Mitayo Potosi ==========* On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 5:16 PM, <rwalker...@aol.com> wrote: > > > People must be free if they are to enjoy culture. Culture should help > people be free and happy, and it will to the degree that the inputs from > individuals and groups make to the general cultural milieu, are so oriented. > Thus in a just society the culture is enhanced by every action of the > society and the society is the better for it -- and thus the citizens of the > society are the beneficiaries. This cannot be in the western world. This > is a practical question of the systems in place; and the systems are > reflection of the dominant ideology, which in turn is the function of > philosophy and the society's rendering of history, which is influenced > itself by the philosophy that dominates. > > The Pan-African society we work for is the opposite of all that the western > world stands for...thus as it grows more insane, more capitalist, we strive > to grow more prescient as a society and culture and more polished as > political scientists. Thereby guaranteeing us our social and individual > happiness, prosperity and general human development. > > In the western world the two dominant philosophical approaches are rooted > in the views of Plato and Aristotle. Plato, who envisioned a eugenics > driven "republic" and whom Nkrumah singled out as a "reactionary" par > excellence; and Aristotle who was anti-woman and pro-slavery, were on > opposite ends of the western ancient world's reaction...but both were indeed > reactionaries. And so their creeds are likewise. If you look at every > aspect and conceptual posture of western society today from imperialism to > red - lining, the core of their philosophical origins can be traced back to > Plato and Aristotle or Plato or Aristotle. > > Aristotle who many cherish because he was more democratic than Plato, > (remember Greek democracy, just like Roman, and much of European historical > states was a slave society, so here we see one of the pitfalls of democracy, > it does not have anything whatsoever to do with equality or guaranteed human > progress, thus the US society up to the mid-19th century was officially a > slave democracy, just as Athens and the early Roman Republic. It was a > slaveholders' democracy that included a propertied male qualification for > participation -- so even all of the white males were not allowed to > participate, even though, as Marx wrote, the Roman proletariat and the Roman > aristocrats both lived on the suffering of the slave, they certainly did not > have equal political power in the Roman state. In Greece and Rome women, > even the Roman and Greek female elites -- had no political clout. Unlike > ancient Egypt, where women had political and economic power as well as > sacred - sacerdotal -- power) > > Nkrumah observed the central failing of Aristotle -- on the issue of > slavery: > > “…Thus, it was not enough for Aristotle to recognize that there were > slaves. He should have criticized the institution of slavery…Its economic > importance...should not have hoodwinked Aristotle into thinking it necessary > or even acceptable, for if society, according to him, is a complementary and > cooperative plurality of men, let it be added that co-operation is free. When > Aristotle himself came to consider how co-operation might be made > spontaneous, he always underscored the necessity of education, never of > tyranny or injustice. > > Man, says Aristotle, aims at good. But how can a continuing slave be said > to aim at anything? According to Aristotle, the principle of order in a > political society is justice, the bond of men in states. But what justice > can a slave be said to enjoy? Aristotle, usually tough-minded, becomes > all too delicate when he writes about slavery.” Nkrumah, 45-6 Consciencism > > > In his position Aristotle is insisting that some people are sub-humans in > that the fact that they are enslaved is indicative of their natural state of > inferiority to the quality "man", in other words the God(s) have made two > kinds of people the masters and the slaves. This is the underpinning of > the Aristotelian view and it has "colored" the western world ever since. > (Scholastic documentation of this reality exists in "relative" abundance, > see for example the book Aristotle and the American Indians: A Study in > Race Prejudice in the Modern World (A Midland book, > MB132)<http://www.amazon.com/Aristotle-American-Indians-Prejudice-Midland/dp/0253201322/ref=cm_cmu_pg_t>by > Lewis Hanke (Paperback - Aug. 1970)) > > Combined with his flat out statement that men were superior to women, they > have served as the philosophical basis and ideological underpinnings of the > modern capitalist world of rampant racism, sexual exploitation and gender > oppression, and a general democracy of crime syndicates of different shades > and levels of power and influence. > > But, in general, the centuries long practical application of Platonic and > Aristotelian philosophies has given the majority of the world's people > nothing but pain and suffering. > > It is precisely this philosophical influence and the resulting ideology and > culture-like system that evolved from its application that we fight today, > indeed, here is how one set of Africans are combating the > philosophical-ideological war. > > Plato and Aristotle: the two pillars of western thought > > > These two men alone, moreover very famous, illustrate the dualism of the > Western paradigm. To emphasize their importance and at the same time show > their divergent views, the painter Raphael, in his famous painting entitled > "the Athenian school," showed them in a posture which reveals the very > essence of their philosophy: Plato is pointing his index finger towards the > sky while Aristotle’s left hand falls towards the ground. > Both men have determined the way we think, analyze, debate, classify and > understand the basic values of life which all Western thinkers use today. > Together, they worked out the basic structure of social life, the rules of > European dialectic and the roles assigned to things and men. > > *PLATON ET ARISTOTE* > PEINTURE DE RAPHAËL > PAINTING BY RAPHAËL > These two completely different men maintained a student/master relationship > for almost 20 years, Aristotle was Plato’s pupil before becoming his > strongest opponent. Even European spiritual thought did not escape their > influence. The *analysis of the "*Vulgate" made by the fathers of the > Church and the first Latin translation of the "Septante," still remain under > the influence of these two masters of Greek philosophy especially when it > comes to understanding spirituality. > These two diametrically opposing philosophies symbolizes perfectly the two > modes of thinking of European intellectuals. Plato the philosopher, reveals > his idealist leaning, through his abstractions, his dialogues and his > mystical thoughts. Aristotle the rationalist remains concerned with material > things, methodical inventories and systematization. The first untirelessly > seeks and questions the reasons for the world and for our existence, while > the second seeks to understand how things work, their causes and their > effects.. One imagines an ideal city under the influence of "philosopher > kings" whose mission would be to guide in the name of good, the human > community, the other attempts to generate a social order while justifying > social inequalities. > It is clear therefore that Europeans, strongly influenced by these ideas, > are either Platonic or Aristotelian in their manner of seeing the world, in > their relationship with others and in their manner of understanding their > society. Add a "feeling of superiority" to the recipe and you will > understand their modus operandi. It is of little consequence which one they > support, as it is only their historical experiences and philosophical ideas > which fulfill the necessary criteria (read white,) to be bestowed with the > seal of "Universalism." It is these dogmatic Eurocentrist ideas which have > been severely attacked by Afrocentricity philosophy. > Frustrated Western historians blinded by their "racial" pride, generally > prefer to hide the fact that Plato spent 13 years in ancient Egypt being > taught philosophy by African priests in the temple of Iounou (Héliopolis). > Strabon himself acknowledged that he visited Plato’s room in Africa. > Aristotle, tutor of the young Alexander the Great (destroyer of > civilizations) obviously watered down Egyptian literature especially when he > shows that the diversity of what comprises the universe is unity (he is > referring here to the Egyptian idea of "Noun") or even when he admits that > Egypt is the true cradle of mathematical science (see Metaphysics). > Loyal to their societies which were steeped in injustice, inequality and > vices of every kind, these two mastodons of European thought are to be > handled with tweezers. Indeed, Aristotle was the first to justify with a > rare violence, slavery and the idea of man as an “inanimate object "meaning > an "inferior being." As for Plato, he justifies not only slavery but also > debauchery by yielding to the temptations of the flesh ....male. > These two collosal men deep down thus reveal a completely, unfinished, > philosophical content, without any substance, because they were citizens of > a society at heart devoid of humanism, prisoners of earthly wealth and easy > prey to temptations of all kinds. In their search, they could not detect > that true intelligence, which comes from the heart, is that which allows man > not to act on his impulses but rather to control them, by using universal > and divine wisdom. > Man understands the world with his intellect and not with his heart, which > is the seat of divine and human sensitivity. It is because the wise men of > Africa during the Pharaonic period understood this that they chided the > Greeks for being, as Plato states, childish spirits, incapable of > controlling their animal and earthly impulses. > In hindsight, we could add that Platonic Europeans can also be described as > pyromaniacs playing sorcerer’s apprentices because it should not be > forgotten that they played a major role in European strategy in the conquest > and destruction of Africa. They were the first salvo which diverted people’s > minds with their pseudo philosophical religious concepts. > European Aristotelians were the second blast which disappeared with all our > human and material wealth, leaving the still fresh odor of gunpowder oozing > in the air. > For centuries now the game of these two men has been running smoothly. > http://www.africamaat.com/Plato-and-Aristotle-the-two >
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ All Archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com/ugandanet@kym.net/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
