The Prometheus Trust, a registered charity, No. 299648, seeks to encourage and assist the flowering of philosophy as the living love of wisdom. It especially looks to the Platonic tradition as envisaged by its founders—a guide to the inner and outer life, and a spiritual path open to all men and women who seek deep-rooted truth. The Trust strongly affirms the idea that the whole universe is a divine drama, and that each individual soul is a part of this joyful and beautiful play.
Process
The Trust
The Prometheus Trust was founded in 1986 (and was registered as a charity two years later): the founding Trustees were Tim Addey, Donald Skilling and Monica Skilling. The purpose of the Trust was described as “the advancement of education by the teaching of all subjects concomitant with a comprehensive and liberal education for the development of self-determined, rational, integral and versatile individuals.” The founders understood this general aim as being best served by an adherence to and development of the Platonic philosophic tradition – the great tap root of western civilisation and a close counterpart to the wisdom traditions of the East. The Trust is run by a board of Trustees, who are assisted by volunteers.
Philosophy
Because humankind live lives which are more or less self-directed according to their understanding, philosophy is the inescapable basis of human life. We all make choices—an almost uncountable number every day—and insofar as these choices are wise we are likely to lead happy lives, while foolish choices tend towards unhappiness not only for ourselves but also for our fellow creatures who are naturally affected by our actions. From this point of view, the cultivation of wisdom—that is, philosophy – should be seen as not only the most natural of human activities but also the greatest possible service we can offer to the universe.
The Platonic Tradition
The Platonic tradition has served as the foundation for progressive thought in the West for millennia, and confirms and enshrines truths which the best of Eastern philosophies and religions affirm. Its noble history stretches back well before Plato and continues to draw to itself those who seek an intelligent, stable and autonomous spiritual path today. It offers its adherents a wealth of insights from a golden chain of wise men and women who have lived and walked the path before us, but at the same time it stresses the primacy of every person’s own access to truth, and each person’s autonomy— it does not seek to impose any particular doctrine upon those who would follow the Platonic path. It does, however, hold before us the highest ideal—the rediscovery of the divine within each human self—and through this the embrace of the best possible life and a vision of beauty beyond imagining.
Prometheus
The Greek myth of Prometheus relates how, once his brother Epimetheus had distributed to the world’s creatures various powers and gifts it became clear that he had none left over for the last of them—the human being. Prometheus went and brought the fire of the Gods down to earth as a gift for humankind. This fire is that of divine wisdom, a portion of which burns in the depths of every man and woman who lives on earth. For this reason, says Olympiodorus, “Prometheus should be regarded as the guardian of the descent of rational souls.” Prometheus means ‘forethought’, while Epimetheus means ‘after thought.’
“But in the [Platonic] Academy there is an altar of Prometheus, from which they run towards the city, carrying with them burning lamps…”
—Pausanias 1, 30.
Publishing
We publish many series of books centred around Platonism. If you would like to publish with us, please find information about our Editorial board and process here. We sell and deliver books across the world, with a 20% discount applied to our RRP- please click Publications from the top menu. You will find details of our returns and refund policy on the individual books and on the Cart page. If you are in North America please order from our North American distributors Kindred Star. If you are within the EU, to avoid extra customs charges, we advise ordering from our eBay listings.
Contributing
Our charity relies wholly on volunteering. We are mostly concerned with encouraging those interested in this philosophy to join in with our Education programme. If you did have a particular skill or were really keen to join in with the day-to-day running of the Trust, please use our contact information below to get in touch. You can find out more here including how to donate.
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Please subscribe to our regular newsletter using the button if you’d like to hear about our upcoming events and publications.
Our Board of Trustees
Tim Addey (Chairman)
Dr Briony Addey (Treasurer)
Miranda Addey (Education Programme Co-ordinator)
Averil Addey (Book Sales)
Dr Crystal Addey (Editorial Board)
Robert Ball, James Clarke, Dr Brendan O’Byrne, Rosalind Pulvermacher, and Dr Harold Tarrant.
Our Patrons are Prof. John M Dillon and Martha Lyn.