Abstract
To the ancient mind, magic was a powerful force to be subjected to or to control. Egypt, more than any other early culture, stressed the importance of intellectual agency as the antidote to the imperfection perceived between foundational think- ing and anti-foundational speaking. Just as rhetoric seeks to express the concep- tual ideal pursued by philosophical inquiry, these earlier thinkers stressed magical language as the key to unlocking the power of the cosmos. Th is article will explore the Ancient Egyptian concept of rhetorical magic as a practical wisdom that allows an individual to function fully within the boundaries established by a perceived cosmic order. Th e Ancient Egyptians applied rhetorical magic to ease the disso- nance felt between intellectual engagement and the semiotically saturated cosmol- ogy in which they dwelt. Th ese same ancient rhetorical practices hold promise in assisting our own attempts to navigate a world inundated with information.
Published Version
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