| Why Zoroaster? | Front |
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It can be argued that Zarathustra is the historical father of philosophy yet he doesn't often get the recognition he deserves. Few realise that Greek philosophy first sparked into life among Greeks like Heraclitus who lived in Asia Minor on the edge of the Persian empire. Persian followers of Zoroaster called themselves Mazda-yasni or worshippers of wisdom. Greeks who came into contact with Persian thinking translated Mazda (Wisdom) as Sophia and Mazda-yasni as Philo-Sophia or philosophy. Zoroastrianism is all about ethics. If you do good deeds then the world will become a better place. But you need a Good Mind to do good deeds. The Persian word for Good-Mind (Hu-Manah) entered the classical world as 'humanus' and 'humanitas'. Indeed Zoroaster can claim to be father of humanism and humanistic religion. Zoroaster is a figure who spans philosophy and religion. In an age when rational philosophy and religion seem to have divided into separate spheres, Zoroaster could be the one who brings the two back together again. When the fervour generated by religion is yoked to the clear thinking of philosophy perhaps we will see great deeds that really do create the better world. June 2013 CE / 4013 HE |