The Ethics Workbook I: Chapter One Ancient Egypt

The Ethics Workbook I:
World History Chapter One

Ancient Egypt

As a first step in our study of right and wrong, we are going to find out what kinds of things the Ancient Egyptians thought were good and bad. Then we’re going to think about and discuss our opinions of what the Egyptians thought. As you know, the ancient Egyptians believed strongly in a life after death. In order to get a deceased person ready for the afterlife, it was customary to embalm the body to preserve it in the form of a mummy. The body was treated chemically, and then wrapped with strips of linen. Woven into the linen were sheets of papyrus that had important writing on them. We know this writing today as the Book of the Dead. It is a very important document, which tells us a lot about what the ancient Egyptians believed. The Book of the Dead contained all of the instructions and magic spells needed to help the soul of the deceased get into the next life. Among the contents was a list of confessions, which the dead person would make before the gods. We are going to study some of these because they tell us what the ancient Egyptians thought was important. We have put a few of the confessions into two groups. Each group represents a kind of behavior which is viewed as either right or wrong. See if you can find any key difference between the kind of behavior described in group one with the kind of behavior described in group two? In other words, what do the things in each group have in common, and what is the big difference between the groups? Group One I have not defrauded the poor of their property. I have not committed theft. I have not killed man or woman. Group Two Ethics Workbook I ©Anthony Tiatorio 1999 6 I have given bread to the hungry man, and water to the thirsty man, and clothes to the naked man… Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 rewritten and simplified Now see if you can complete the following sentences in a way that shows that you understand the differences between the groups. 1. The actions in group one are about different things, but they are really all the same because… These are all concerned with doing harm to others. 2. The actions in group two are about different things, but they are really all the same because... These are all concerned with doing good for others. These two thoughts are at the root of all ethical thinking. Try to write the two ideas in the form of rules for behavior by finishing the following sentences. 1. A person should try not to do things that… ……

2. A person should try to do things that…

 But, like everything else in life, ethics isn’t always that simple. Let’s look at the Book of the Dead again where it says: I have not committed theft. I have not killed man or woman. Is it always wrong to steal, or even to kill someone? Think about this, and then write your thoughts down in the space below. This is a way for you to get ready for a class discussion of this question. Here are a couple of ideas to help you get started: 1. Do the circumstances surrounding an action change whether that action is right or wrong? In other words, could the same action be both right and wrong depending upon circumstances? 2. Does the person’s intention, or in other words what the person is trying to do, or wants to do, determine if that action is right or wrong? Ethics Workbook I ©Anthony Tiatorio 1999 7 What about the Book of the Dead when it says: I have given bread to the hungry man, and water to the thirsty man? Is it always right to help others? In the space below, jot down your ideas about this, and get ready to talk about it. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Again, here are a couple of thoughts to help you. Does everyone deserve to be helped? Should we help everyone, or are there only certain people we should help? List your ideas in the space below. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Students will begin to think about reciprocity as a reason for taking certain actions, and they will begin to weigh their obligations to others by recognizing that there are people to whom they owe more than they do to others. Ma’at was a very important Egyptian goddess, often shown as twin girls who represented justice and truth. For the Ancient Egyptians this meant balance and order in the natural world. Anything that upset this balance was viewed as being bad because it caused trouble. This is a very interesting idea that we’re going to think about. Read the following lines from the Book of the Dead and see if you can explain in your own words how they show this idea. I have not held back the water when it should flow. I have not diverted the running water in the canal. I have not put out a fire when it should burn. Book of the Dead, Chapter 125 rewritten and simplified ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. This begins to introduce the third area of concern for ethics, which involves our relationship to the natural world. It also forms the basis for understanding the philosophical differences between western and eastern societies. Egypt is basically an eastern culture and as such stresses a balance between human society and nature. In this case letting nature do its thing is considered right. Ethics Workbook I ©Anthony Tiatorio 1999 8 This is another category of ethical thinking. So far we have considered how people act toward other people. This time we are looking at how people act toward the natural world. Different societies have had very different ideas about this. What do you think? Do we have any obligations toward animals, plants, or to the earth itself? Write a short essay outlining your thoughts and get ready to share them with the class. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. It is important for students to recognize this as a responsibility even if it is reasoned as pure self interest. Students should be challenged in discussion to think about the possibility that right and wrong are not based only on reciprocity and self-interest.


http://www.ethicsineducation.com/Workbook%20I%20TAE2.pdf