These notes outline all the readings in detail that could be asked in the exam. They outline all the major ideas and thinkers and give an in-depth summary, based on the allocated readings. I received a distinction for this module, based on these notes.
,Table of Contents
What is African Philosophy?.....................................................................................................1
Four Trends in Current African Philosophy...............................................................................8
Discourses on Africa: The Struggle for Reason in Africa........................................................12
African Art..................................................................................................................................................17
Traditional African Aesthetics: A Philosophical Perspective...................................................17
Ubuntu.........................................................................................................................................................20
Rethinking Ubuntu.................................................................................................................. 20
The Self Become God: Ubuntu and the ‘Scandal of Manhood’...............................................23
The End of Ubuntu................................................................................................................. 25
Just the beginning for ubuntu: reply to Matolino and Kwindingwi............................................29
Ubuntu and the Environment..................................................................................................29
Ecology through ubuntu......................................................................................................... 32
Communal personhood and autonomy...................................................................................33
African Renaissance...............................................................................................................................34
The African Renaissance: Lessons from a predecessor.........................................................34
BIKO..............................................................................................................................................................38
The Definition of Black Consciousness..................................................................................38
Some African Cultural Concepts............................................................................................39
Ethnorelativism....................................................................................................................... 42
EXAM QUESTIONS....................................................................................................................................45
,What is African Philosophy?
Dider N. Kaphagawani
GUYS THIS TOOK ME FOREVER IM SORRY
Introduction
● African Philosophy is still in its embryonic stage
○ Meaning that it is yet to establish not only a tradition, but several traditions
○ Oruka says that to create traditions, African philosophy needs to have the
attitude of ‘letting one hundred flowers to bloom’
■ In other words, create traditions, promote debates, critical analyses and
self criticism
■ Debate should point out the ‘three evils’ that are currently tormenting
many African cultures and nationalities:
1. Authoritarianism
○ Permanent control of all aspects of life that forces people
to do things against their will
2. Anachronism
○ System or principles outliving their suitability and utility
3. Supernaturalism
○ The tendency to establish supernatural foundations for a
natural code of conduct
The Question of African Philosophy
● The question ‘What is African Philosophy?’ has preoccupied scholars for two reasons:
○ Firstly, the attempt to falsify certain theories which denied certain Africans the
properties of rational reasoning due to apparent primitiveness of these people's
mentality
■ Levy-Bruhlian presents African as incapable of evolving a ‘scientific and
reason-orientated culture’
○ Secondly, there is a political factor of colonisation of many African cultures by
the West
■ When the processes of decolonisation occurred, it led to a post-colonial
quest for African identity.
● A combination of such questions lead philosophers to ask the question what is african
philosophy, but philosophers to this day are divided in their answers.
○ Wiredu states that much time is asking, arguing over what constitutes african
philosophy, instead of what african philosophy actually is.
● Before answering questions of African philosophy, philosophers must define all basic
material. Be they concepts, words or phrases, before philosophising.
1
, The Two Conceptions of African Philosophy
● There are two views philosophers in African ascribe too:
a. African philosophy is merely consisting in ‘collecting, interpreting and
disseminating African proverbs, folktales, myths and other traditional material of
a philosophical tendency’
■ Definition has fallen into disrepute when discussing ethno-philosophical
approach to African philosophy
b. Philosophising modern developments in knowledge and techniques in reflection
■ African philosophy is viewed as a joint venture and product of tradition
■ Encourages modern philosophers to have different perspectives and
divergent world outlocks
● Employ different methods of philosophizing in debates and
research relevant for African cultures and nationalities
■ These philosophers argue that African philosophy must have rationality,
rigour, objectivity and self-criticism
● Some argue that these strict conditions confine the conception of
African philosophy to just one aspect (Wiredu)
● As a result of these varying definitions, four approaches have emerged for African
Philosophy:
a. Ethnophilosophy
b. Philosophic Sagacity
c. Nationanalistic-ideological philosophy
d. Professional Philosophy
● African philosophy is currently dominated by trying to define what these four approaches
are, instead of what African philosophy as a general term is
○ But divisions among philosophers here are also very pronounced
Types of Philosophies or Methods of Philosophising?
● The four divisions were developed by Orukan and are often referred to as the Orukan-
framework for African philosophy
● The above mentions divisions are often misconceived as representing four
independent types of African philosophy
○ The divisions are four methods used in African philosophy
○ This particularity applied to philosophical sagacity since it is more of an inherently
acquired skill or talent
○ The other three distinctions can be viewed more as methods of philosophizing
● Regardless of function, the four methods should not be taken as rigid with distinctive
lines separating them
○ They chris-cross (around the Benj @Georgia) and flow into each other at various
levels
● Nazombe (1983) broadly define these four methods as follows under the Orukan
framework:
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