The mistake is that we are talking past each other. I am not saying that the Egyptians did not practice magic and ritual as part of their religion or that it was not part of the apparatus of state. However, within that framework everything was not considered "magical". The king may have been imbued with magical energy, but the average joe was not. The King may have had his earthly effects handled with care for preservation in the after life, but the average joe did not. The system of state supported the system of belief in the Pharaoh as a manifestation of the gods. However, that does not change the fact that for the average everyday person on the street or even the Pharaoh himself, that everything was considered "magical". The king and his staff were responsible for organizing and planning the affairs of state. If this did not go well the state would crumble. Maintaining the harvest is not "magic". Keeping the dikes and canals open and flowing is not "magic". Keeping the army armed, fed, housed and equipped is not "magic". All are affairs of the state and under the dominion of the Pharaoh, but everything in his domain and day to day activities was not considered "magical". Look at the wisdom literature from ancient Egypt. None of those texts mention magic at all. They give sound advice on the day to day interactions of an upright person. They are not intended to be "magical".

[nefertiti.iwebland.com]

Note that in the tombs of the various viziers and officials, most often they are spoken of in terms of their good service and wise action for the King and the state, not in terms of their ability to perform "magic".

An example (read the section Biography of Kagemni):
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These are the sorts of things I consider as intellectual. While at the same time there were certainly also texts and spells in the tomb designed to be "magical". However, they are not , in my opinion, a reflection that the Egyptians did not distinguish between "magic", morality, good judgment, efficiency and proper action.


You are oversimplifying and generalizing everything in Egyptian history in order to suit your point of view. So if everything was not considered magical by the ancient Egyptians, then you cannot say I am trying to make a dichotomy. Religion, magic and ritual had their place in Egyptian life, but so did organization, planning, math and science also have their places as well. Everything was not considered an act of "magic".