Lectures on Ancient Philosophy (Paperback)

by Manly P. Hall (Author) "TO define adequately the nature of the Absolute is impossible, for it is everything in its eternal, undivided, and unconditioned state..." (more)
Key Phrases: Cycle of Necessity, John Doe, Absolute Being (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Complete in itself, this volume originated as a commentary and expansion of Manly P. Hall's masterpiece of symbolic philosophy, The Secret Teachings of All Ages.

In Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, Manly P. Hall expands on the philosophical, metaphysical, and cosmological themes introduced in his classic work, The Secret Teachings of All Ages. Hall wrote this volume as a reader's companion to his earlier work, intending it for those wishing to delve more deeply into the esoteric philosophies and ideas that undergird the Secret Teachings. Particular attention is paid to Neoplatonism, ancient Christianity, Rosicrucian and Freemasonic traditions, ancient mysteries, pagan rites and symbols, and Pythagorean mathematics.

First published in 1929-the year after the publication of Hall's magnum opus-this edition includes the author's original subject index, twenty diagrams prepared under his supervision for the volume, and his 1984 preface, which puts the book in context for the contemporary reader.

From the Publisher
The Philosophical Research Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 for the purpose of assisting thoughtful persons to live more graciously and constructively in a confused and troubled world. The Society is entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control. Dedicated to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems, the Society's program stresses the need for the integration of religion, philosophy, and the science of psychology into one system of instruction. The goal of this instruction is to enable the individual to develop a mature philosophy of life, to recognize his proper responsibilities and opportunities, and to understand and appreciate his place in the unfolding universal pattern. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (September 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585424323
• ISBN-13: 978-1585424320
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #372,002 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On a Clear Day..., November 27, 2001

By	Timothy J. Smith (Burdett, New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lectures on Ancient Philosophy (Paperback)

As is often the case with Manly Hall, this book is deceptively clear. Much of what he says sounds obvious and easy to understand -- until you put the book down and try to understand the authors he's written about. Then you will find that he has brought a wonderful clarity to the essential truths of ancient philosophy, delivering the heart of wisdom without the encumbrances of academic verbiage. An excellent starting-point for young people interested in the great visionaries of the past, and an enlivening refresher for those bogged down in the tedium of classical philosophic texts.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A test for citizenship in the Divine Commonwealth, May 27, 2008

By	OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Lectures on Ancient Philosophy (Paperback)

I know that this book was written as a supplement to THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES but it seems to me that it is the equal to that masterwork, if not perhaps superior in some ways. I found it to be a well-organized, precise exposition of the Ancient Wisdom from the Neoplatonic viewpoint of the Alexandrian School in particular and the Greek Mysteries in general. Nor do I have any doubt that the Ancient Wisdom of Hall is exactly the Philosophia Perennis of Guenon and Schuon. Of course Hall didn't revise this volume after it was originally written- you cannot "improve" upon the eternal wisdom if it has been carefully and correctly expounded.

When Hall speaks of perfect consciousness it is the same as Schuon's intuitive intellection. Subject and object become one in perfect union. Consciousness is union with Self. Lesser mind is incapable of reaching the state of perfect consciousness. Yet, this lower, rational, materially based mind must be developed to its absolute limit of attainment- so that it may come to know its ultimate limitations- and therefore die. The lower mind must die, must be sacrificed, that the Great Work be accomplished. There is no higher goal. In the secret teachings the mind itself is the Savior-God. Mind, as the Savior-God, must be sacrificed and transcend in order that the worlds of Spirit and Matter might be joined. A being who attains this union within himself, who resides at the apex of the two pyramids, will never quite seem to fit into the conventional material environment known by others.

Once upon a time, when I was still infatuated with lower mind I would have written this book off as unreadable gibberish. Now that I have verified its teachings through my own experience and being I find it to be a gem beyond price.

This is the true Philosophy, the love of Wisdom. The academic discipline that currently goes by the title of "philosophy" is no such thing. It is rather philosophy's obscene ab*rtion...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LECTURES ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY, April 26, 2008

By	Aussie Book Worm "Book Worm" (Australia) - See all my reviews

An excellent introduction to ancient philosophy for the layman. The diagrams at the beginning of each chapter make ancient philosophy very easy to understand. This is an essential companion book to appreciate the Secret Teachings of All Ages. However, Hall challenges the sacred ideas associated with the Christian world view so the books are not for the fainthearted. Both books whet the appetite to delve into the Britannica Great Books of the Western World and a very liberal education.