Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition

Empedocles played a crucial role in the development of western culture; yet little is known or understood about this man, who lived in Sicily in the fifth century BC. Using material never exploited before, this ts the first full-scale study of Empedocles to situate his fragmentary writings in their original context of philosophy as a way of life, of mystery religion and magic, and of the struggle to realize one’s own divinity. Peter Kingsley also presents fresh evidence which proves Empedocles was not an isolated figure and reveals new links between his work and ancient Pythagoreanism. The process of establishing these links now makes it possible to demonstrate, in detail, the Pythagorean origin of Plato’s myths. The second half of the book re-examines problems regarding the connections between ancient magic, science, and religion. More specifically, it traces for the first time a line of transmission from Empedocles and the early Pythagorcans down to southern Egypt, and from there into the world of Islam. This neglected process of transmission is of profound significance for our understanding not only of Greek philosophy but also of the background to ancient alchemy, Sufism, and medieval mysticism. Peter Kingsley is a former Fellow of the Warburg Institute, and now lives and teaches on the west coast of Canada.