Worldview & Philosophy?

[Katefox]

I really hope I'm posting this in the right place.

I found Darkhawk's recent post on the ka very interesting, and I think I'd like to learn more about the Kemeticism, but especially the worldview and philosophy of the religion.  But I'm not so interested in the Gods as such, and so I have no idea where to go to find the information I want.  Could someone possibly suggest me some reading, point me in the right direction, or explain the Kemetic worldview to me?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Setnakht]

  Could someone possibly suggest me some reading, point me in the right direction, or explain the Kemetic worldview to me?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I would suggest the book Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt, by Maulana Karenga (Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 2006).
Professor Karenga's work presents the most thouroughly developed and nuanced treatment of the ancient Egyptian ethical system.
For a great overview of Egyptian mythology & religion I suggest Jeremy Naydler's Temple of the Cosmos. These two books in particular should provide a solid basis for understanding the subject. Good luck to you!

[Katefox]

I would suggest the book Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt, by Maulana Karenga (Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 2006).
Professor Karenga's work presents the most thouroughly developed and nuanced treatment of the ancient Egyptian ethical system.
For a great overview of Egyptian mythology & religion I suggest Jeremy Naydler's Temple of the Cosmos. These two books in particular should provide a solid basis for understanding the subject. Good luck to you!

 
Thank you for the recommendations.  I think "find the library" just became more important on my list of things to do (I just moved).

[Helmsman_of_Inepu]

Thank you for the recommendations.  I think "find the library" just became more important on my list of things to do (I just moved).

 
If they don't have those particular books, ask them if they can get them for you on interlibrary loan. You'd be surprised what you can get, and from how far away a book will travel to get to you.

I've read "Temple of the Cosmos", and I'd echo the recommendation of it.

[SatAset]

Could someone possibly suggest me some reading, point me in the right direction, or explain the Kemetic worldview to me?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 
I'm going to third the recommendation for Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler.

[Katefox]

If they don't have those particular books, ask them if they can get them for you on interlibrary loan. You'd be surprised what you can get, and from how far away a book will travel to get to you.

I've read "Temple of the Cosmos", and I'd echo the recommendation of it.

 
Conveniently, being a university student here, even if the public library doesn't have it somewhere in their system, some university somewhere in Ontario should, and I can get it that way once school starts.  Man, I love that interlibrary loan system so much.

[Helmsman_of_Inepu]

Man, I love that interlibrary loan system so much.

 
Yes! And it's especially valuable for Kemetic books. Most people have no idea you can do that. :ninja:

[Nehet]

Yes! And it's especially valuable for Kemetic books. Most people have no idea you can do that. :ninja:

ILL is my friend.  I don't know what I'd do without that service.  They can find not only books but articles.

[Setnakht]

I would suggest the book Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt, by Maulana Karenga (Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 2006).
Professor Karenga's work presents the most thouroughly developed and nuanced treatment of the ancient Egyptian ethical system.

Here is the first paragraph from Professor Karenga's book.
"The essential thrust and purpose of this work is to delineate and critically examine Maat, the moral ideal of ancient Egypt, using the Declarations of Innocence in the New Kingdom text, The Book of Coming Forth By Day, and other key ethical texts as the fundamental foci for analysis, and in the process explore the usefulness of Maatian ethical thought as a resource for modern moral discourse and philosophical reflection on critical moral issues. By moral ideal I mean the definitive set of axiological assertions and assumptions which provide a paradigm of the ancient Egyptian conception of the moral or ethical. In other words, I am interested in extracting from the available texts a reliable portrait and understanding of ancient Egypt's highest moral standards, its delineation of right and wrong, its definitive concepts of relational obligations and rules of conduct and other data which composed and informed the ancient Egyptian moral universe." (p.3, paperback edition)
   The great Egyptologist Jan Assmann provides a very supportive Preface to Karenga's book. For anyone interested in the subject, this book is invaluable. Anything else I''ve read on the topic absolutely pales in comparison. I hope you check it out.

[Nehet]

For anyone interested in the subject, this book is invaluable. Anything else I've read on the topic absolutely pales in comparison.

 
I love Karenga's book.  He provides some really unique insight into Egyptian literature, from the wisdom texts to the funerary texts.  He shows how Ma'atian philosophy is deeply engrained in all aspects of the Egyptian worldview.  This book is not a quick or easy read, but it's well worth the time and effort.  

[Firaza]

Could someone possibly suggest me some reading, point me in the right direction, or explain the Kemetic worldview to me?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 
I actually learned a lot about the Kemetic worldview from Reidy's Eternal Egypt, though it's very ritual-oriented in nature, so I don't know if it would offer the same amount of information as the other suggestions would, since I've not read them yet...

[Katefox]

I actually learned a lot about the Kemetic worldview from Reidy's Eternal Egypt, though it's very ritual-oriented in nature, so I don't know if it would offer the same amount of information as the other suggestions would, since I've not read them yet...

 
Thanks.  I'll have to keep that one in mind, too.

[Helmsman_of_Inepu]

I actually learned a lot about the Kemetic worldview from Reidy's Eternal Egypt, though it's very ritual-oriented in nature,

 
In Eternal Egypt, he will be talking about why you offer incense or natron, or some other little detail, and boom, this vista opens up.

[Nehet]

I actually learned a lot about the Kemetic worldview from Reidy's Eternal Egypt, though it's very ritual-oriented in nature, so I don't know if it would offer the same amount of information as the other suggestions would, since I've not read them yet...

 
I second the recommendation on Reidy.  Yes it's very ritual-oriented.  You can learn a lot about a society's worldview from its rituals.  Read his commentaries.  I think you'll find them very helpful.

[Katefox]

I second the recommendation on Reidy.  Yes it's very ritual-oriented.  You can learn a lot about a society's worldview from its rituals.  Read his commentaries.  I think you'll find them very helpful.

 
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the public library has any of the suggested books.  Which means waiting until I get access to the school library (I'm a new student, and haven't got my student card yet).  And now is when I have time for reading.

(I wish I could find copies of these books online.  It would save me the trouble of scanning them, as that is how I read everything.  Oh, well.)