Greek philosophy - especially Platonism and Neoplatonism - actually might be the closest thing to Gloranthan wizardry (there are echoes of Neoplatonic thought in Christianity and Islam, but I'd take a close hard look at the pure stuff). Wizardry is the direct manipulation of the fundamental magical building-blocks of Glorantha through logic and reason. It is possible to learn and recite a sorcerous formula that will always produce the same known effect.
The lands of the west are dominated by the materialist philosophies of the Malkioni religion who venerate the Invisible God: the one true God, the One Mind, and the Ultimate Being. This abstract Invisible God gives little actual magic to its worshippers, but it does give Malkioni wizards access to formulae and philosophies that allow them to define and manipulate the rest of the world, and turn it into raw materials for their cosmic alembic. The Malkioni believe that the strictly impartial forces that constitute the Cosmos can be tapped and exploited through manipulation of Knowledge and Power. The Malkioni religion is dominated by its Wizards, magical specialists who can shape the universe without consent from gods who are elsewhere believed to rule everything.
Does this help?
Jeff
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