Philosophy
fl. c. 2400 BCE, Memphis, Old Kingdom Egypt (Fifth Dynasty)
The oldest book of wisdom - an Egyptian vizier teaching his son the art of living by <em>ma’at</em>: right order, truth, and justice.
Start learning Ptahhotep →What the Maxims of Ptahhotep are - an ancient Egyptian sebayt , or ‘instruction,’ in which an aged vizier teaches his son the art of living - and why the oldest surviving book of wisdom opens not with a boas…
The single standard beneath every maxim - ma’at , the Egyptian idea of truth, justice, and right order woven into the cosmos itself. ‘Great is Truth,’ Ptahhotep says, ‘never overthrown since the…
Ptahhotep’s counsel on the hardest of crafts - knowing when to speak and when to hold back. How to argue with a superior, an equal, and an inferior; why ‘fair speech is more rare than the emerald,’ yet…
Ptahhotep’s counsel for those who hold power - hear the petitioner patiently, for a good hearing soothes the heart; guard against greed, the one disease he calls incurable; and stay humble in success, remembering…
The climax of the Maxims : the ‘hearing son’ who listens and is formed by wisdom, against the fool who mistakes knowledge for ignorance and cannot be taught. How conduct toward one’s household and frie…
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