Critical discussion on what Ramose means by, “The struggle for reason in Africa” in his essay and what this struggle has to do with African philosophy according to him.
Essay - Ramose - “The struggle for reason in Africa”
What does Ramose mean by, “The struggle for reason in Africa” in
his essay of the same title and what does this struggle have to do
with African philosophy according to him ?
[30 marks] [maximum 700 words]
Ramose’s essay, ‘The struggle for reason in Africa’, was written first in 1999 shortly
after the first election in which all South Africans over the age of 18 were allowed to
vote. In the essay, Ramose is among others critical of colonizers for claiming to be the
sole producers of all knowledge and the only holders of truth. Ramose, in the same
essay, equally criticises his fellow Africans for reducing themselves into being passive
as well as uncritical assimilators, coupled with faithful implementation of knowledge
produced from outside Africa.
Ramose expresses among others the need for Africans to construct an authentic and
truly African discourse about Africa so as to break the silence imposed on them.
According to Ramose, implied in Aristotle’s statement that, ‘Man is a rational animal’ lies
A subtle racism and sexism. A key point Ramose makes is that Africans are being
excluded from humanity.
What Ramose means by, “The struggle for reason in Africa”
‘The struggle for reason in Africa’ picks up the point of letting Africans speak for
themselves in their own right. For centuries, African discourses have been dominated
by non-Africans. Ramose believed that ‘despite democracy and the culture of human
rights in our time, the foundation of the struggle for reason remains unshaken’.
Ramose argues for the importance of opening up Western philosophy to the range of
philosophical traditions originating outside of Europe. In this work, which attempts to
debunk philosophical racism, Ramose traces the problem back to its colonial roots, and
Eurocentric superiority.
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