The Origin of Philosophy: Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian Reasoning and its Influence on Greek, Roman, and African Philosophies
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
The beginnings of philosophical thought, deductive reasoning, and cosmology are thought to have first been documented during the Seleucid period in ancient Babylon. At this time, Babylonians emphasized the understanding of celestial motions, but did not focus on why they or any other physical phenomena occur.[1] Dating back to approximately 3000 BC, the origins of astronomy, mathematics, and astrology could be noted in Babylonian and Egyptian philosophies and achievements. Often these concepts were explained by metaphysical reasoning, involving stories of gods and goddesses or their interactions with the physical world. [2]
However, ancient Egyptians dating as far back as approximately 2,635 BCE in the Fourth Dynasty described physical existence according to maat, or order, and isfet, or chaos. Maat was what explained the Nile’s regular flooding and receding periods, provided a basis to the king’s laws, and allowed all obedient Egyptians to enter the afterlife.[3]
Furthermore, scholars also believe that the origins of philosophical ideologies contributing to modern day alchemy have been identified with the hieroglyphic script in the Egyptian temple of Horus of Edfu, dating back to the Ptolemaic Period in the second century BCE. The first Egyptian text explicitly describing alchemic procedures was written by Zosimus of Panopolis, who lived in Egypt during the fourth century CE. Zosimus attributed his knowledge of alchemy to both Egyptain and Babylonian (Persian) sources and knowledge. [4]
Turning Point
Following Alexander the Great’s death in Babylon, 323 BCE, Babylonian philosophies were accommodated by the Greeks and the Persians and assimilated into a unifying culture. What existed at this time was known as the Hellenistic world. Hellenistic philosophical focuses included questions regarding the role of gods, society, and the individual.[5]
Furthermore, there was also transference at some time of Egyptian ideologies to the rest of the continent, thus creating the foundation for African philosophy and influencing many other modes of thought and reasoning.[6] To be more specific, scholars who do not agree with Hegel believe that the Sahara desert is the main link that carried Egyptian ideologies to other territories, such as Islamic ones, that then adopted those beliefs which also penetrated African philosophy and culture.[7]
Effect
Both Babylonian philosophies and the way they were written are reflected in ancient Greek society.[8] For example, a classic Akkadian text from ancient Babylon called The Dialogue of Pessimism is a direct precursor to the structure of Platonic dialogues.[9] Additionally, one of the greatest cosmologies that drove philosophy away from materialism in ancient Greece was Plato’s dialogue Timaeus, and origins of its ideologies have been traced back from ancient Arabic scripts, according to scholars.[10]
It is also evident through the history of philosophical thought in the African continent that Egyptian philosophies were the origins of later African philosophies. Scholars–most notably Cheikh Anta Diop–often categorize African philosophy as the philosophy of maat. There is a notable presence and emphasis of a word that is equivalent to maat meaning “reality, truth, justice, or righteousness” in languages of countries such as Ethiopia, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Sudan, and Nigeria. Also, African customs such as the circumcision of males and females have a philosophical explanation that relates directly to the reasoning behind the almost equivalent ancient Egyptian practice. [11]
Also, scholars have identified Egyptian ideologies on an ideal physical and metaphysic existence through maat in the “instructions” for living in an orderly society that came about in texts in the Middle Kingdom from 2008-1540 BCE and the Roman Period from 332 BCE - 395 CE.[12] Overall, Egyptian philosophies guided by maat are considered the origins for modern moral philosophy. For example, Will Durant–author of The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage–believes that the moral laws in the Egyptian text Maxims of Ptahhotep[13] serve as guidelines for other moral codes utilized by later empires.[14]
[1] Hetherington, Norriss. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology and Astronomy. 2005. 485.
[2] Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Physical Sciences 2000 BC – 699 AD, Cosmology in the Ancient World. 2000. 257-258.
[3] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. 185.
[4] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Alchemy. 2005. 200.
[5] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Greece and Rome, Other Philosophies in the Hellenistic World. 2005. 266.
[6] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1761.
[7] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1762.
[8] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Alchemy. 2005. 200.
[9] Lambert, Wilfred G. Babylonian Wisdom Literature: The Dialogue of Pessimism. 1960. 139-140.
[10] Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Physical Sciences 2000 BC – 699 AD, Cosmology in the Ancient World. 2000. 258.
[11] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1761.
[12] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. 186.
[13] Ed. Miller, Frederic P.; Vandome, Agnes F; and McBrewster, John. The Maxims of Ptahhotep. 2011. 1-96.
[14] Durant, Will. The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage. 1963.
Bibliography
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; &
Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332
BCE, Alchemy. 2005. Vol. 1. Gale. Detroit. 200-201.
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; &
Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332
BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. Vol. 1. Gale. Detroit. 185-187.
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler, Soergel, Philip M.; and
Friedman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Greece and Rome
11200 BCE - 476 CV. Other Philosophies in the Hellenistic World. 2005. Vol. 2.
Cengage Learning, Gale. Detroit. 266-269.
Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. Vol. 2.
Charles Scribner’s Sons. Detroit. 1761-1763.
Durant, Will. The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage. 1963. Vol. 1. Simon and
Schuster. New York.
Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Cosmology in the Ancient World. Vol. 1. 2001.
Gale. Detroit. 257-259.
Hetherington, Norriss. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology and Astronomy. 2005.
Vol. 2. Charles Scribner’s Sons. Detroit. 485-487.
Lambert, Wilfred G. Babylonian Wisdom Literature: The Dialogue of Pessimism. 1960. The
Clarendon Press. N.p.l. 139-140.
Ed. Miller, Frederic P.; Vandome, Agnes F; and McBrewster, John. The Maxims of
Ptahhotep. 2011. VDM Publishing. Saarbrücken, Germany. 1-96.
Weiss, Giselle. Science and Its Times: Contributions of the Pre-Socratics. 2001. Vol. 1. Gale.
Detroit. 238-240.
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
The beginnings of philosophical thought, deductive reasoning, and cosmology are thought to have first been documented during the Seleucid period in ancient Babylon. At this time, Babylonians emphasized the understanding of celestial motions, but did not focus on why they or any other physical phenomena occur.[1] Dating back to approximately 3000 BC, the origins of astronomy, mathematics, and astrology could be noted in Babylonian and Egyptian philosophies and achievements. Often these concepts were explained by metaphysical reasoning, involving stories of gods and goddesses or their interactions with the physical world. [2]
However, ancient Egyptians dating as far back as approximately 2,635 BCE in the Fourth Dynasty described physical existence according to maat, or order, and isfet, or chaos. Maat was what explained the Nile’s regular flooding and receding periods, provided a basis to the king’s laws, and allowed all obedient Egyptians to enter the afterlife.[3]
Furthermore, scholars also believe that the origins of philosophical ideologies contributing to modern day alchemy have been identified with the hieroglyphic script in the Egyptian temple of Horus of Edfu, dating back to the Ptolemaic Period in the second century BCE. The first Egyptian text explicitly describing alchemic procedures was written by Zosimus of Panopolis, who lived in Egypt during the fourth century CE. Zosimus attributed his knowledge of alchemy to both Egyptain and Babylonian (Persian) sources and knowledge. [4]
Turning Point
Following Alexander the Great’s death in Babylon, 323 BCE, Babylonian philosophies were accommodated by the Greeks and the Persians and assimilated into a unifying culture. What existed at this time was known as the Hellenistic world. Hellenistic philosophical focuses included questions regarding the role of gods, society, and the individual.[5]
Furthermore, there was also transference at some time of Egyptian ideologies to the rest of the continent, thus creating the foundation for African philosophy and influencing many other modes of thought and reasoning.[6] To be more specific, scholars who do not agree with Hegel believe that the Sahara desert is the main link that carried Egyptian ideologies to other territories, such as Islamic ones, that then adopted those beliefs which also penetrated African philosophy and culture.[7]
Effect
Both Babylonian philosophies and the way they were written are reflected in ancient Greek society.[8] For example, a classic Akkadian text from ancient Babylon called The Dialogue of Pessimism is a direct precursor to the structure of Platonic dialogues.[9] Additionally, one of the greatest cosmologies that drove philosophy away from materialism in ancient Greece was Plato’s dialogue Timaeus, and origins of its ideologies have been traced back from ancient Arabic scripts, according to scholars.[10]
It is also evident through the history of philosophical thought in the African continent that Egyptian philosophies were the origins of later African philosophies. Scholars–most notably Cheikh Anta Diop–often categorize African philosophy as the philosophy of maat. There is a notable presence and emphasis of a word that is equivalent to maat meaning “reality, truth, justice, or righteousness” in languages of countries such as Ethiopia, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Sudan, and Nigeria. Also, African customs such as the circumcision of males and females have a philosophical explanation that relates directly to the reasoning behind the almost equivalent ancient Egyptian practice. [11]
Also, scholars have identified Egyptian ideologies on an ideal physical and metaphysic existence through maat in the “instructions” for living in an orderly society that came about in texts in the Middle Kingdom from 2008-1540 BCE and the Roman Period from 332 BCE - 395 CE.[12] Overall, Egyptian philosophies guided by maat are considered the origins for modern moral philosophy. For example, Will Durant–author of The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage–believes that the moral laws in the Egyptian text Maxims of Ptahhotep[13] serve as guidelines for other moral codes utilized by later empires.[14]
[1] Hetherington, Norriss. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology and Astronomy. 2005. 485.
[2] Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Physical Sciences 2000 BC – 699 AD, Cosmology in the Ancient World. 2000. 257-258.
[3] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. 185.
[4] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Alchemy. 2005. 200.
[5] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Greece and Rome, Other Philosophies in the Hellenistic World. 2005. 266.
[6] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1761.
[7] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1762.
[8] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Alchemy. 2005. 200.
[9] Lambert, Wilfred G. Babylonian Wisdom Literature: The Dialogue of Pessimism. 1960. 139-140.
[10] Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Physical Sciences 2000 BC – 699 AD, Cosmology in the Ancient World. 2000. 258.
[11] Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. 1761.
[12] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; & Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. 186.
[13] Ed. Miller, Frederic P.; Vandome, Agnes F; and McBrewster, John. The Maxims of Ptahhotep. 2011. 1-96.
[14] Durant, Will. The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage. 1963.
Bibliography
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; &
Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332
BCE, Alchemy. 2005. Vol. 1. Gale. Detroit. 200-201.
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I.; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; &
Freidman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt 2675-332
BCE, Topics in Philosophy, Maat. 2005. Vol. 1. Gale. Detroit. 185-187.
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward; Evans, James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler, Soergel, Philip M.; and
Friedman, John Block. Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Greece and Rome
11200 BCE - 476 CV. Other Philosophies in the Hellenistic World. 2005. Vol. 2.
Cengage Learning, Gale. Detroit. 266-269.
Daigne, Souleymane Bachir. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Philosophies. 2005. Vol. 2.
Charles Scribner’s Sons. Detroit. 1761-1763.
Durant, Will. The Story of Our Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage. 1963. Vol. 1. Simon and
Schuster. New York.
Feffer, Loren Butler. Science and Its Times: Cosmology in the Ancient World. Vol. 1. 2001.
Gale. Detroit. 257-259.
Hetherington, Norriss. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmology and Astronomy. 2005.
Vol. 2. Charles Scribner’s Sons. Detroit. 485-487.
Lambert, Wilfred G. Babylonian Wisdom Literature: The Dialogue of Pessimism. 1960. The
Clarendon Press. N.p.l. 139-140.
Ed. Miller, Frederic P.; Vandome, Agnes F; and McBrewster, John. The Maxims of
Ptahhotep. 2011. VDM Publishing. Saarbrücken, Germany. 1-96.
Weiss, Giselle. Science and Its Times: Contributions of the Pre-Socratics. 2001. Vol. 1. Gale.
Detroit. 238-240.