Powerful Philosophy from Ancient Egypt

Socialist Ideals

There seemed to be a lack of classist tension in Ancient Egypt. Far from Feudal Europe with social upheaval being very rare (C.Diop, The African Origin of Civilisation) .

Their society was extremely wealthy, pledging us much as the equivalent of £8million worth of Gold to build their temples but every. However the Monarchy was responsible for the success of commerce. They also insured the people were well fed and inherited a house.

This would be the equivalent of a home and nutritious food being your birthright, living in the UK. Not 30 years of debt to own a flat. You would be given a home and nutritious food would be made plentifully available to you (C.Diop, The African Origin of Civilisation). And this was in pursuit of an ethical, not an economic ideal. Ethics held the greatest currency, not wealth

The Monarchy, in their death would have the Declaration of Innocence inscribed in their tombs. We read things such as, Bakhenkhonsu, High Priest (12th century BC) "I did not do islet (evil in his house); I judged the poor like the rich and the strong like the weak”. If they did not live to the Ethical Ideals of Maat, their Ka (soul) would be destroyed in the Duat (afterlife) after it was weighed against the weight of a feather.

The point to explore here, is what would society be like if ethics carried as much weight as currency?

Triumph over evil (Maat vs Isfet)

It was each Egyptian’s duty to banish Islet (evil) from the land by spreading Maat (good, order) and it is in Egypt that we see the first detailed hero story emerging. We can see this in the form of Horus. But the triumph of good over evil is equally seen as a form of Introspection. Within us we have a balance of good and evil and it is our duty to exercise good order over the chaotic evil that resides within us

This has translated into the Abrahamic religions but in Christianity, many will claim to be practicing but will assume forgiveness if we even superficially repent.

Many people who are practicing followers of religion also practice passivity to save themselves from eternal torment. However Maat encourages active participation in banishing Islet from the land.

Mythology (origin of good and evil

In ancient Egypt we see a creationist story which tells the story of the universe into being as well as our own consciousness from unconsciousness

Atum (the uruboros, the abyss, the chaotic disorder of good, evil, female and masculine) provides 4 key figures

• Osiris (the old King)
  
• Isis (the wife of the old king)
  
• Set (the evil brother of Osiris, precursor for Seitan)
  
• Horus (Osiris’s son who defeats Set to re-establish order)
  

Horus (eye of Horus) represents consciousness (J Peterson, Maps of Meaning; Erich Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness) and he can only see Set’s evil because he can look into the abyss of chaos and evil and see it for what it is. He is not blinded by tradition and complacency like his father but also ourselves

We are all guilty of lying to ourselves in moments of complacency. Many times we look away from the reality of chaos and hide in our unconscious states rather than stare into the abyss and do what is needed of us. Know Thyself is an antidote to this. Do not lie to yourself

There are many theories that this is who the story of Jesus is based on. A deity who can look into the abyss of evil and chaos and confront it with good (Ma'at)

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