By Major General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis
It is now scientifically acknowledged that Humanism was created by the ancient Greek sages and, consequently, so was Humanistic Civilization. Indeed, genuine and rational science was also founded by those supreme intellects.
Beyond the intellectual achievements of ancient Greece, the irrational materialists and idealists, both left-wing and right-wing, have contributed nothing of great significance, with the exception of certain advances in modern technology. Yet, through this technology, and due to their lack of philosophy and reason, they are destroying the environment and undermining the human being’s “good life” (eu zen). In all other respects, they have created nothing of real worth; they have merely stolen and borrowed the ideas of those great sages.
The Ancient Greeks Formulated All the Principles of Physics
Many people claim that the ancient Greeks developed only theoretical principles in technology. This, however, is a blatant falsehood. Modern scientists merely took things further and, through research, verified the theoretical findings formulated by the ancient Greeks.
For the scientific achievement of splitting the atom and its nucleus, as well as the realization that even the tiniest particle of matter is composite, were not unknown to the ancient Greek sages.
Democritus, for his part, called the atom “atomon” (indivisible), meaning something that cannot be split. At the same time, however, Anaximander maintained that even what was considered indivisible—that is, the atom—could be split, just as the nucleus could.
The Eleatic philosopher Zeno had, moreover, arrived at the same conclusion. It should also be noted here that Newton, too, had borrowed his relevant theories from the ancient Greek sages. In general, all modern researchers borrowed the theories of the ancient Greeks.
The greatest Greek sages concerned themselves with matter and the atom, among them Thales, Anaxagoras, Anaximenes, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Zeno of Elea, Democritus, Leucippus, Plato, Aristotle, Archytas, Archimedes, Hero of Alexandria, and many others.
The same applies to the Universe. A comparative examination of what the ancients had stated and what modern thinkers claim to have discovered leads to the conclusion that the latter inherited everything from the ancient Greek sages.
Modern Scientists Copied Their Principles, and Some Even Stole Them
Yet modern researchers carefully conceal this truth, so that they, too, may have something to claim as their own achievement.
The Great Responsibility of Our Intellectual Leadership
The intellectual leadership of Greece also bears immense responsibility, since it failed to take an interest in asserting the rightful authorship of these ideas and condemning the theft of our country’s intellectual heritage.
More specifically, university professors and academics in the respective fields should have sought the formal recognition and registration of our intellectual heritage. They failed to do so, with only a very few exceptions.
Modern Plagiarists Distorted the Truth and Brought About Chaos
The result of this carelessness on the part of modern thinkers, or of their deliberate omissions and distortions of ancient texts, has been the deviation of modern science from its proper course. This deviation has led the world to the hardships and dead ends of the present day, as well as to the dangers threatening humanity’s future.
Socrates and Other Thinkers Focused on the Human Being
When Phaedrus asked Socrates why he did not venture beyond the city of Athens, Socrates replied: “What is there for me to see? Mountains and trees? What interests me is the human being and the study of the human being” (Plato, Phaedrus).
In other words, he taught that his interest did not lie in Nature or in the investigation of natural phenomena, but rather in the human being, his education, and his improvement. It should be noted, however, that his teacher, Archelaus, had taught him about Nature, introducing him to a theory that he had brought from Ionia.
EPILOGUE
The ancient Greek sages had already provided answers to the great questions concerning matter, the atom, and the Universe. Modern thinkers did not start from nothing; they copied, utilized, and developed the ideas of the ancients, without always giving due recognition to their true intellectual originators. Even more tragic is the fact that Greece’s own intellectual leadership showed indifference to defending this invaluable intellectual heritage. Thus, science made technological progress, but moved away from philosophy and humanism.
Alas! Humanity borrowed the knowledge of the ancient Greeks, but forgot their wisdom: to continue striving for the improvement of the Human Being.
(1 November 2026)
Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Writers
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