January 2011 - Blackherbals.com

Continued from page 3 – Egypt: Ancient History of AfricanPhilosophycirculation, has no scientific foundation at all. There is noproof of an "Afro-Asiatic historical grammar." One mayrecall here what Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) called "theprejudice of the prestige of the multitude," that is to say,the supposition that what everyone says must be true. Inthe human sciences "scientific" circles often make claimsnot based on any objectively verifiable grounds but ratherjust on this kind of prejudice.Second, ancient Egypt was a flourishing ancient kingdomof Northeast Africa, located in the Nile Valley, nowise in"Asia Minor" or in the "Near East." The Egyptiancivilization of the Pharaonic period (3400-343 Bc) wasintrinsically, that is, in its essential nature, an Africancivilization. on account of its spirit, character. behavior,culture, thought, and deep feeling.As we know, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel(1770-1831), who was not a historian. but a greatphilosopher, stated in his lectures delivered in the winterof 1830-1 on the philosophical history of the world:"Africa is no historical part of the world: it has nomovement or development to exhibit .... Egypt . . . doesnot belong to the African Spirit" (1956: 99: emphasismine). This view of the Hegelian philosophy of historyhas become almost a common opinion and an academicparadigm in Western historiography. A great culture orcivilization cannot be produced by African (Black)people. Moreover, African people have never made anykind . of contribution to world history. Even somebrilliant African minds still accept as true Hegel'sincongruous statement. In modern times the primarydocument concerning the "question" of the ancientEgyptian connection with the rest of Black Africa was,until the Cairo symposium, Hegel's Philosophy ofHistory. Thus, it took one century and 44 years, fromHegel (1830) to the Cairo symposium (1974), to changethe paradigm installed by the German philosopher. TheCairo symposium was, then, a turning point in Africanhistoriography and philosophy.Ancient Egyptian Concepts of "Philosophy"It was said above that philosophy could be defined assystematic reflective thinking on life. There is not asingle philosophy that could be excogitated except inrelation to life, society, existence, and universe. Evenabstract reasoning about the condition or quality of beingnothing ("Nothingness") still deals with something in theuniverse, since the universe is the totality of all that is.Human beings always need to discern hat is real, true,right, or lasting. Such insight is wisdom, becauseunderstanding what is true, right, or lasting necessarilyelevates the mind. This is why "philosophy" was under--40- Traditional African Clinic January 2011stood by the Greeks as 'love of wisdom," and"philosopher" as "lover of wisdom." To philosophizewas not just to speculate about life and reflect onnature, but also to be engaged with love, intense desire,and strong enthusiasm in the investigation of causesunderlying reality in order to build up a system ofvalues by which society may live.Philosophy is more important in its essential functionthan in its mere methodology as a critical or analyticalinquiry into the nature of things. The basic notion ofphilosophy in ancient Egypt referred precisely to thesynthesis of all learning and also to the pursuit ofwisdom and moral and spiritual perfection. Philosophyin the ancient times of Pharaonic Egypt was, then, akind of pedagogy fielding the wise teachings (sebayit)of the old sages, who were scholars, priests, andofficials or statesmen at the same time.Indeed, the verb rekh (written with the hieroglyphicsigns of "mouth," "placenta," and "papyrus rolled up,tied and sealed") means "to know" or "to be aware ofbut also "to learn." Human beings know by learning,that is, through experience or conditioning, schoolingor study. The word rekh (when written with thehieroglyph of a seated man) means "wise man." that is,a learned man, an erudite, a philosopher. Thus theconcept rekhet (written with the hieroglyph for abstractnotions) means "knowledge," "science," in the sense of"philosophy," that is, inquiry into the nature of things(khet) based on accurate knowledge (rekhet) and good(nefer) judgment (upi). The word upi means "to judge,""to discern," that is, "to dissect." The cognate word upetmeans "specification." "judgment," and upset means"specify," that is, give the details of something.In the Egyptian language "wisdom" and "prudence" areexpressed by the same word: sat (the hieroglyphicdeterminative is very characteristic; it is of a man withhand to mouth). Indeed, to be wise (sai) is to be prudent(sai); it is to be almost "silent," that is, sagacious inhandling matters, and exercising good judgment.Wisdom and prudence imply knowledge (rekhet) andthe awareness of the principles of moral conduct andsociable behavior. The wise man (rekh or sai) grasps inhis mind with clarity and certainty what is knowndistinctively to him.The wise man or woman, of course, loves truth (mast).He or she is shrewd, marked by a keen awareness and apenetrating intelligence, because he or she has receivedformal instruction. In the Egyptian language, the wordseba (written with the symbol of a "star") means, "toteach," suggesting methodological teaching and anarduous learning process, such as at school.Continued on page 41