Thales (640 - 546 B.C.)

Noted statesman, mathematician, and astronomer, Thales is one of the Seven Wise Men of Ancient Greece. He explains that all in the world is alive, even dirt and rocks. Things are filled with a divine energy (Universal Energy) that guides and animates them. Humans and everything else eventually return to the original substance(Absolute) from which they came.

Heraclitus (535 - 475 B.C.)

At a time when no human has ever seen vibrating particles and molecules, Heraclitus affirms that if our eyes could penetrate matter, they would discover that nothing is stable. Fire (Universal Energy) is the basic material of the universe. Souls (Eternons) are the smallest form of fire and are never destroyed. Souls have different levels of perfection according to their closeness to the Great Universal Spirit (the Absolute).

Empedocles (495 - 435 B.C.)

This religious teacher and physician tells us that structures are made by the assemblage of millions of small particles (Eternons). When particles separate, there is decay. But particles soon recombine into different things. All is alive and has power of thought. Humans are made of the same particles as everything else, but they have more power of thought.

Democritus (460 - 370 B.C.)

The father of Atomism reveals that all in the universe is made from the union of countless, tiny, and indestructible atoms. Atoms have inner energy and move freely. At death they are scattered throughout the universe before associating into new and different structures. The purest atom is the soul atom (Leading Eternon). Atomists note that knowledge through sense perception (human consciousness) is limited, but there is also a transcendent type of knowledge (Eternon consciousness).

Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C.)

The famous philosopher claims that matter is alive, pervaded by spirit, and characterized by a sense of purpose. Souls are found everywhere because everywhere there is life and reason, from the simplest plant to the most complex creature: the human. God (Absolute) is the unchanging principle unifying the world. It is the source of all forces and all forms(Universal Energy and Eternons). Matter is striving to return to this divine source. There are two types of reason. The passive reason (basic consciousness of the structure) is that of matter. It is attached to the physical form and ends with it. The creative reason (higher consciousness of the Leading Eternon) is that of the soul. It exists before incarnation and survives death.