Ep. 379: Egyptian Philosophy with Chike Jeffers (Part One)

What It Covers

The Partially Examined Life explores ancient Egyptian philosophical texts from 2400-1400 BCE, examining instructional writings, dialogues about justice and suicide, and Akhenaten's monotheistic hymn to Aten with guest philosopher Chike Jeffers.

Key Questions Answered

• •Egyptian Philosophy Origins: Ancient Egypt represents philosophy's birthplace twice over - first as the origin of human philosophical thinking tens of thousands of years ago, and second as one of two birthplaces of recorded philosophy alongside Mesopotamia through literary texts beyond practical record-keeping.
• •Ma'at Concept: The Egyptian principle of ma'at fuses truth and justice into one concept, appearing in texts where translation must choose between speaking truth or doing justice, suggesting ancient Egyptians saw these as unified rather than artificially separated as modern philosophy does.
• •Akhenaten's Monotheism: King Akhenaten's hymn to Aten around 1400 BCE introduced radical monotheism emphasizing visible nature and solar benevolence, describing diverse peoples with different skin colors and languages as equally created by one god without claims of Egyptian superiority - a cosmopolitan outlook unusual for the era.
• •Instructional Text Genre: Egyptian instruction texts evolved from Old Kingdom tomb inscriptions listing virtues into philosophical reflections on living well, using father-to-son succession frameworks to explore fundamental questions about good character rather than specific job training for officials or kings.