Causality and Chaos: On Aristotelian Metaphysics in Ancient Egyptian Cosmogonies

This research aims to demonstrate that the ancient Egyptians had a profound understan­ding of ab­stract, philosophical concepts rather than a mere collection of primitive beliefs, founded in mytho–reli­gion. In order to achieve this, we compare some ancient Egyptian Co­smogonies and Aristotle’s (funda­mental) metaphysical concepts of causality, actuality and potentiality. We are very cautious not to for­ce a Western framework upon an ancient culture, nor do we attempt the paradoxical quest to find an ori­gin of Aristotelian meta­phy­sics in ancient Egypt. On the contrary, by comparing fundamental, reli­gious texts from ancient Egypt with fundamental, philosophical works of ancient Hellas, we attempt to highlight similar, abstract thought processes in both cultures. Part one explains the an­cient Hellenic separation of mytho–religion and rational Philosophy, and the reasons why this cut did not occur in ancient Egypt. We find the latter in the crucial obligation of main­taining Ma^cat in daily —continuous and nearly identical ways— to which the ancient Egy­ptians had to adapt their Sciences and Philo­so­phi­es, instead of separating religion and reason. Part two, then, compares in detail the above mentioned famous Aristotelian con­cepts with the Heliopolitan, Hermopolitan and Memphite Cosmogonies. This compari­son touches —among others— upon the important religious–philosophical concepts of Crea­ti­on, the origin of Death and introduction of Evil in the ordered world. It further­mo­re explains why the rather obscure concept of Aristotelian Prima Materia, which causes an unexpressed, but obvious «Dua­lity» between Aristotle’s Prime Mover and Prime Matter (eternal Actuality and Potentiality) does not create any problems in the metaphysical natu­re of (the primeval god of the watery Abyss) Nūn. Ba­sed on the latter, we conclude (by intro­ducing our current research) on how the old Egyptological pro­blem (of whether Evil in ancient Egypt was perceived as being contingent or present since Creation) appe­ars to ha­ve been metaphysically circumvented altogether by the ancient Egyptians themselves.