Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics (African Studies) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

This is the book we have been waiting for. It is the first book to truly unravel the spiritual philosophy of Ancient Kemet. Most books before this were Eurocentric babble attempting to downplay the Kemetian legacy in order to reinforce Eurocentric myths of supremacy; others attribute Kemetian genius to Asiatics and/or extraterrestrial aliens; still others attempt to validate Kemetian philosophy by looking at it from a Jewish or Indian lens. Many of those who seek to rejuvenate Kemet for the world and attempt to speak on Kemet do not used the Kemetian texts sufficiently to illustrate their point.Karenga does none of that nonsense. His exploration of Kemetian spiritual philosophy is unparallel as he focuses primarily on the actual ancient texts, meanwhile correcting the current Egyptologists' bias views. Karenga exposes the primary force behind Kemetian spiritual philosophy as Maat, the feminine deification of truth, goodness, and balance. In addition, he shows the familial relationship between Kemetian ontology and that of other Afrikan spiritual systems, though this could have been more thoroughly explored.This text is without doubt academic in nature, yet it has the making of a philosophically spiritual manual as well. Unlike most other texts that take a spiritual stance on Kemet, Karenga at no point forces the reader to rely on his word, but relentlessly points the reader to the text, even when he is agreeing or disagreeing with another scholar.One thing that Karenga could have done better (though we have to acknowledge that he could not do everything, considering the monumentality of this work of single-handedly resurrecting the TRUE legacy of Kemetian philosophy)is include the medunetcher/hieroglyph form of more texts that he references in English and transliteration, simply so that the reader can become familiar with the concepts using the same symbolic imagery that the Ancient Afrikans of Kemet used for written communication. There is an underated power in imagery. That is also why I'm curious to know why the cover of the book did not depict an actual photograph of original Kemetian art. The copy used was not 100% accurate to the actual relief of Seti presenting Maat and would have been more effective had Dr. Karenga used an original ancient depiction that had the typical stylized mahogany-brown or dark brown color the Kemetians most often used to depict themselves. This would visually emphasize the Afrikan nature of Kemet for all those who wish to attribute Kemet to the sand colored Asiatics who presently control the nation.Though this book is arguably the best book on Kemet available, it remains only a foundation to build on. We need African-centered scholars to scientifically renew the spiritual system of the Nile Valley by specifically exploring other netcheru such as Amen-Ra, Het-Heru, Ausar; the Nubian spiritual system; and the relationship other Afrikans have with Nile spirituality. We also need African-centered scholars knowledgeable of Medunetcher to spread its use in the global Black community, if only if in key words. We all know how much Diasporic Afrikans love to add our own words and/or redefine the words of the language of the oppressor--imagine if we actually used medunetcher in this creolization process on a conscious level! It could be as simple as salutations, religous terminology, etc. It is a beginning.All this being said, I cannot thank Dr. Karenga enough for what he has achieved not just for himself, but for the Afrikan race and humanity as a whole by DOING MAAT and bringing forth the truth about the wisdom of the Ancient Afrikans of the Nile that laid the foundation for world civilization. How blessed am I, as a relatively young man, to have elders like Dr. Karenga. Black people, our elders have finally returned to lead us and not hand us over to other people to lead us and wonder why we can't function correctly.Dr. Karenga, if you are reading this, know that we are building an eternal pyramid for you in our hearts; that you have restored Maat in a way that Ahmose the Great had and that Piankhi himself, and other great egungun, are weeping with pride for our people because of your restoration. You are like Hatshepsut who does magnificence not out of boasting but out of love for Amen-Ra!For the restoration of MAAT: Manifesting Advanced Afrikan Truth!

If you are interested in ancient Egypt or Kemeticism, you will really love this book. In Maat, you will be taken through the ancient Egyptian concept of order, justice, and cosmic harmony across the ages. It's obvious how passionately the author felt about the subject. Maat is filled with excellent scholarship and reflection that will, if you let it, change how you view the world and how you interact with others. I got my first copy of this book from a garage sale, read it to tatters, then purchased Maat again when I saw it on Amazon. So, so, SO worth the price.Karenga is a very good writer who examines Maat from multiple angles. The text is written clearly, but this is a somewhat heavy work of scholarship and philosophy. Don't expect to be able to read this book in a week and get all you can from it. There's just so much to read and think about!

This is an excellent book for any one interested in the Africiansystem of Maat. By reading this work and understanding the research, you will begin tounderstand how man has step away from his ethical responsibilities to Nature,God,andhis Fellow Man. It all started in Africa Not Europe or Asia.

One of the most important books I've read, filled with good scholarship: which articulates the breadth of understanding and valuation, the ancient Egyptians had for justice and truth. What impressed me most, in learning about the ancient Egyptian religious orientation towards Maat: is how large their understanding was towards Justice, as a way of being.

Straight forward. Scholarly. Well researched!

This is an amazing book about Maat. It goes into real detail about Maat,leaving no stone unturned. If you want to truly study Maat--this is the book to get. It's a little long but very informative. It's worth the purchase.

Everyone should read it and live by it. The world would be a much better place.

Something for truth seekers and those who study all religion. Good information about morality. "Exposing the truth, we have been lied to."

Dr Maulana Karenga has written a thoughtful and fairly thorough volume addressing a gap in multidisciplinary analyses of ancient Egypt. Very few works have sought to look into the question of the morality and ethics over that considerable period of human history, either dismissing it on the basis that 'very little is known' or subsuming it under religion (Assmann, Hornung, Shafer), magic (Ritner) specific aspects such as sexuality (Antelme) or literary example (Tale of the Eloquent Peasant). Karenga sidesteps the problem by focussing on the moral ideal, rather than the mere practice.Karenga prefaces the work by espousing the not unfamiliar position against Eurocentrism in Egyptology. It is a valid point, not only in the sense that ('eurocentric') Egyptology has evolved through several stages in which it has had to correct its earlier inclinations of fitting Ancient Egypt into a Western world-view but also, as one can admit, entirely different paradigms might be more applicable. The difficulty is that while there is a long tradition of philosophical analysis of the moral ideal in Western academia at least from the Neoplatonists through, say, to Kant, the same is not present in the history of African philosophy, and this is so even if we include the Yoruba and Ifa traditions. Philosophy as an academic study is a comparatively recent addition in African universities. Karenga's position (p.11) that "Moral philosophy or moral analysis as an intellectual project begins with and is constantly informed by a definite stance or perspective" is arguably true at a certain level (Karenga makes a curious reference here to a book on feminism) though clearly less useful in any normative sense.What we do have from Egypt at the present stage of investigation is firstly growing understanding of what they did, and secondly various lists of moral precepts, neither of which involve analysis in formal philosophical ethics; yet putting them together one can ask firstly how far they lived up to their own moral codes and secondly, the subject of Karega's book, how far they lived up to a moral ideal – for which Karenga uses Maat as the subject.Some of Karenga's references can be annoyingly vague, mentioning only a volume without page number, or else a reference to Western philosophy that seems to me occasionally a little out of context, or taking the weakest points from other philosophies (for instance p.346, Aristotle on gender) rather than their strengths. Greek philosophy frequently implies a debt to Egypt -- seen for instance in Clarke and Dillon's De Iamblichus -- even if every country tried to position itself as the 'best'! Karenga's demonstrations of obtaining 'likeness of God' could be enhanced by comparisons with a similar doctrine of Plotinus or even Proclus rather than pitting Africa against the world. That these came several hundred years later might even tentatively suggest a chain of influence from Egypt.However when it comes to investigation of Egyptological data, Karenga is far more satisfying. His detailed instances, grouped in a single volume, bring a qualitative insight into his subject matter, and the sheer depth of his investigation makes the book a valuable addition to any library dealing with ancient Egypt. His detailed examination of divine kingship and the implied onus of upholding the ideal make excellent reading. His comparisons between Egypt and other societies of that time do indeed point to a considerable measure of success in human rights and respect for women when compared to the institutions of Greece and Semitic societies of the time.It is in a way unfortunate that Karenga positions himself as an activist for Afrocentrism. While I admire his cause, his arguments against Western philosophy are not always convincing; yet this should not detract from the value of the the great bulk of his book, which details the morals and moral ideal of successive periods of ancient Egypt in a way that can only have considerable value to our understanding of those times.

Informative book that provides lots of information.