Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows how much mainstream contemporary metaethics stands to gain by opening itself to a broader range of comparisons and inspirations. It describes the core normative concept in Muscogee thought, for which he uses the term ‘harmony’. Metaethics, broadly speaking, is the investigation of the underlying nature of morality. The book also describes the ancient Egyptian notion of maat, a notion that simultaneously concerned both justice and truth. It considers an approach to specifically human perfectibility, drawn from the Confucian philosopher Xunzi. A person who aspires toward maat is a maaty, and being a maaty is important to whether one is admitted to the afterlife. To be maaty requires speaking appropriately and being appropriately spoken about. Hence, the test for admission to the afterlife involved a person’s true name being weighed against their words.