In this part of Ethiopian Renaissance, I stress the need of developing consciousness. Only with the development of consciousness and knowledge real social and economic development that is supported by science and technology can be achieved. Without the development of comprehensive knowledge, there cannot be social and economic transformation. Without real social and economic transformation there cannot be democracy and true freedom. From this perspective to come out of the present crises that are prevailing in our country we have to change our mindset. This can be achieved if we can give attention to all fields of knowledge, like philosophy, science, and technology, sociology, art, and architecture.
In the first part of my lecture, I tried to explain how Renaissance helped the Italian people to change their mindset and build a creative and dynamic society. Great thinkers like Dante by studying the social and psychological crises that prevailed in the Italian society during the 14th-century rediscovered Greece philosophy and made it the foundation of new knowledge what they called it Renaissance.
In the second part of this episode, I try to show the universality of knowledge. Great thinkers like Pythagoras, Plato, and Solon were in Egypt and learned Philosophy and other knowledge from the Egyptian priests. When they came back to Greece they brought this knowledge to Greece and made it the foundation of the Greek civilization. in turn the Egyptians had copied philosophy and other knowledge from the Ethiopians.
If we want to overcome the crises that prevail in our society, only by studying philosophy and other knowledge we can eradicate poverty and hunger and build a new society. Since philosophy is the foundation of science and technology, it is essential to focus our attention on this field.
If a given country is confronted with complex problems, such as political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological crises there is only one possible remedy for such kinds of multifaceted crises, that is to introduce a holistic model of economic and social policy. Economic and social policies that benefit the masses and can be the foundation of a Nation-state will be materialized if the state and the political structures of a given country are being reformed.
