What Makes A Philosophy African?

#africa #philosophy #knowledgehow African traditional religions and philosophies differ from Western ones.Africa is a continent with rich and diverse cultures. It has a diverse range of religions and philosophies. Some of these religions and philosophies are different from Western ones. Below are some of the key differences between African and Western religions and philosophies.What makes a philosophy African? The first thing to know is that more than three decades of debate ended with the affirmation that African philosophy does exist.------------- Chapters -----------------0:00 - How African traditional religions and philosophies differ from Western ones0:25 - What makes a philosophy African?01:04 - African Philosophy as an Extension of Western Philosophy02:37 - African Philosophy as an Independent System of Thought 03:44 - On God 05:53 - On Human Nature06:23 - On African Traditional Religions09:04 - Ancestors and their role in religion11:44 - ConclusionThe debate on the status of African philosophy has been a long-standing one. On the one hand, some have argued that African philosophy does not exist and that it is a contradiction in terms. On the other hand, others have argued that African philosophy is merely an extension of Western philosophy. For them, Africa has yet to produce a philosophical tradition of its own.African Philosophy as an Extension of Western PhilosophyIn this line of thought, African philosophers are seen as mere followers or imitators of Western philosophers. There are no genuine African philosophical traditions. Because Africa has never had an indigenous system of thought, with its own originality and creativity. It is argued that the very notion of “African philosophy” is problematic. Because it implies that there exists such a thing as “Western philosophy” and “non-Western philosophy”. where “Western” refers to European or some other non-African concepts and ideas, which are assumed to be universal. And “non-Western” refers to any concept or idea that is not Western.It is also argued that there are no non-Western philosophers. Because every philosopher is necessarily a Westerner. This is because whatever a philosopher may say, he says it from within the framework of a particular culture and tradition. And this framework remains Western. It is argued that there can be no philosophy outside the West because the very notion of philosophy requires the existence of a rational or logical system of thought based on the principle of non-contradiction. This principle is said to have been formulated by Aristotle in his Metaphysics. Hence, it follows that any philosopher who does not accept this principle as valid cannot be a genuine philosopher.African Philosophy as an Independent System of Thought with its Own Originality and CreativityIn this line of thought, African philosophy exists because Africa has always had its own indigenous philosophical traditions which are unique to Africa. These traditions have been the product of African creativity and are not the result of any influences from outside. In this regard, African philosophy may be said to be an independent system of thought with its own originality and creativity.This view is based on what is called “the principle of historical particularism”. The principle states that a philosophical system cannot be judged in isolation. For example from its cultural and historical context. In other words, a philosopher’s ideas cannot be separated from his cultural background or social environment. Hence, it follows that African philosophy cannot be understood apart from its specific historical, cultural, and social context.It is argued that the concept of God as Creator does not exist in traditional African thought. That it was borrowed from Christianity by some European scholars who misinterpreted African traditional beliefs about God or gods as monotheistic beliefs in one universal God who created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing). The same holds true for the concept of human nature as “ rational”, which is said to be an idea borrowed from the European Enlightenment.These ideas were then used to argue that Africans have no philosophy in their own right. The truth is that Africans do have a concept of God as Creator, but it is different from the concept of God as Creator of the Christian tradition. And Africans do not consider humans to be “rational”, but they do recognize that humans can think and reason.