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African philosophy: the great debate and end of controversy in the light of
Professor Maduabuchi Dukor’s Theistic Humanism
Ani Casimir K.C De!t of Philoso!hy"#nstitute of African $tudies %niversity of
&igeria. ce!!erngo'yahoo.com
Abstract
The definition of (hat constitutes African !hiloso!hy has been !roblematic giving rise
to debates concerning its constitutive ontology content authentic nature e)istence and
methodology. The debate on African !hiloso!hy has raged on from the *+,-s till the
close of the *++-s (ith illuminating e)!ose from the (orks of K(esi iredu as in
!hiloso!hy and African cultures Pauline Hountondi/i in 0African !hiloso!hy1 Myth or
2eality3 Peter 4odunrin in his !a!er5 the 6uestion of African !hiloso!hy3 K(ame
A!!iah in My 7ather’s House3 K.C Anyan(u in the !roblem of method in African
!hiloso!hy3 K(ame 8yekye’s An 9ssay on African !hiloso!hical thought1 the Auan
conce!tual scheme3 2obin Horton’s African thought and (estern science3 T.% &(ala’s
0#gbo !hiloso!hy’ and 0The :tonti Mandate’3 and in the t(enty first century the force
de/ure !aradigmatic (orks of Professor Maduabuchi Dukor in his 0Theistic Humanismof African !hiloso!hy’ 0African 7reedom’ 0$cientific !aradigm in African
!hiloso!hy’ and finally 0African !hiloso!hy in the global village’. &one of the other
!hiloso!hical (orks not even !rofessor Makinde’s 0African !hiloso!hy1 the end of
controversy’ ca!tures the logical consistency e!istemic logical coherence
methodological !urity and scientific coherence of Professor Dukor’s theistic humanism
(hich e)amines affirms and !roves finally the scientific nature method and e)istence
of African !hiloso!hy a co5e6ual in the global village of !hiloso!hy. #t is the !osition
of this article that Dukor’s theistic and humanistic scientificity incor!orates and
demonstrates the inclusiveness of African !hiloso!hy as the basis and solution for the
!resent socio5!olitical economic ethnical dilemmas faced by Africa in the ;*st century
globali<ed (orld. The article (ill critically e)amine African !hiloso!hy in the conte)t
of Professor Dukor’s theistic humanism and re5evaluate its contributions to the
sustainable scholarshi! of African !hiloso!hy concerning its content methodology and
e!istemic e)istence.
Key words1 African !hiloso!hy the great debate theistic humanism traditionalism
human values
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1.0 Introduction
#n every culture each age su!!lies the ra( materials of kno(ledge used and a!!lied by
the ne)t generation to advance the content frame(ork and goal of kno(ledge
es!ecially in !hiloso!hy. The chronology of kno(ledge is very much like the gro(th of
the child to youthfulness maturity and the old age of (isdom. This historical and
meta!hysical se6uence of kno(ledge com!ared to the gro(th of the biological
!ersonality =Ka(u1 ;-->? is natural onto logical e!istemic logical and integrative in a
humanistic (ay. This !hiloso!hical se6uence has been am!ly re!licated by the
e!istemics of the great (orld religions and !hiloso!hies as an authentic !rocess of
scholarly gro(th and e)!ansion. Therefore it is sim!ly !re!osterous irrational
irritating and un!hiloso!hical to deny African !hiloso!hy its share of traditional
mythology symbology and religious (orld5vie(s as the essential humanistic
foundations and com!onent of its evolving and maturing !hiloso!hical consummation.
This irrationality and !osition fundamentally flies a(ay in the the light of the
!hiloso!hical and canonical e)!ositions !rofiled by Professors Maduabuchi Dukor’s
theistic and humanistic basis /ustification and affirmation of the e)istence of African
!hiloso!hy. Theistic humanism is a!!ro!riately ca!tured and defined by him as an
authentic conce!t doctrine and rigorous method (hich hel!s to document this
!hiloso!hical historicity traditional !recedence and ontological se6uence in the search
for global !hiloso!hical e)!ansion. Professors Dukor =;-*-1i)? builds this !oignant
thesis (hen he makes the follo(ing observations about the natural gro(th from myth to
systematic !rocess of the 9uro!ean of !hiloso!hical civili<ation and em!irical gro(th a
gro(th and e)!ansion much akin to that of African !hiloso!hy (hich is moving a(ay
from myth and religious allegories to an intensive rational scientific and systematic
!rocess of e!istemic gro(th and e)!ansion1
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Theistic humanism is a conce!t or doctrine designating the African inclusive idea of
man 8od and the universe hence the theism and humanism are both categories of
African !hiloso!hy. African !hiloso!hy so defined renders the religious (orld5vie(
myths and symbols as rational and coherent system as (ell as constituting a material or
fabric for !hiloso!hical enter!rises much so3 there is also evidence of myths and
symbols in the history of (estern !hiloso!hy. The !eriod called the 0Age of 4elief’ had
!hiloso!hers like $t Thomas A6uinas Dons $cotus and illiam of :ckam =medieval
!hiloso!hers?. The 0Age of 2eason’ =*,th century !hiloso!hers? had 4acon Paschal
Hobbes 8alileo Descartes $!ino<a and @eibni<. The 0Age of 9nlightment =*>th
century !hiloso!hers? had 4erkley @ocke Hume and so on. The 0Age of #deology’ or
*+th century !hiloso!hers had Kant Hegel Comte Mill Mar) and &iet<sche and so
on. And the 0Age of Analysis’ or the ;-th century !hiloso!hers had Pierce hitehead
Hume De(ey 2ussell ittgenstein $artre and so on. #f this historical sketch is
anything to go by (e (ould notice that (hat the medieval !hiloso!hers in the 0Age of
4elief 0 (ere doing (as (hat African !hiloso!hy in the beginning (as !racticing as
!hiloso!hy. ust as the mythological era in (estern !hiloso!hy !rovided material for
!hiloso!hi<ing in the ancient and medieval !eriod so also the mythological era in
African !hiloso!hy !rovided material for Tem!les Kagam’s and Mbiti’s (orks. :n the
other hand (hat the *>th century !hiloso!hers in the 0Age of 9nlightment (ere doing
is (hat the neo5!ositivists or neo5Platonists =in the mud sense? in African !hiloso!hy
like !eter 4odurin K(esi iredu Pauline Hounton/i (ere !ro!agating. This school of
thought in African !hiloso!hy is indirectly also calling for the analytical a!!roach to
African !hiloso!hy.
Having analy<ed Professor Dukor’s observable !arallel bet(een the origin gro(th and
e)!ansion 8reek"9uro!ean !hiloso!hy and that of African !hiloso!hy the un/ustified
denial of African !hiloso!hy its authentic e)istence as a !hiloso!hical homunculus of
the Africans striving for ontological cosmological and e!istemic inter!retation of his
cultural environment is a mere e)ercise in irrational !re/udice and un/ustified racial bias
against a !eo!le their culture and !hiloso!hy. #t (ill be more !hiloso!hically creative
and !roductive to at this !oint design the outline and content of a !hiloso!hical
tem!late that (ould hel! scholars to systematically construct contribute and build the
institution and science of African !hiloso!hy.
;.- The Philosophical Template for African Philosophy--an #ntroduction to the
controversy issues culture and fundamentals of African Philoso!hy
The e)istence or other(ise of the conce!t disci!line or course of study kno(n as
0African !hiloso!hy’ has generated a global regional and national debate among
scholars of African origin non African origin and others (ith interests related to Africa
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and its (orld5vie(. #t is to be noted that African scholars !articularly those (ith a
!hiloso!hical bent training and disci!line have engaged themselves (ith a !assion in
their massive contributions to this decades5old debate. The raging debate about the
e)istence or non5e)istence has s!a(ned a controversy that continues to define the
academic curricula of !hiloso!hy and !hiloso!hy5related disci!lines De!artments
#nstitutes"Centers of African studies in every other available intellectual fora both
online and offline as the debated issues have been documented globally. 7or some
scholars the debates and the controversies are necessary unnecessary relevant
irrelevant3 ve)atious !rovocative or out rightly mischievous as some of the claims in
the debates raise the 6uestionability of the humanity and rationality of the Africans5
sometimes falling short of denying the African !ersonality and being5hood the rational
ability and ca!acity to !hiloso!hi<e 7or us to understand these scholarly and
!hiloso!hical nuances of the logical im!utations of these arguments debates and enable
scholars to contribute to the gro(th e)!ansion and integration of African !hiloso!hy to
the global stream of different human !hiloso!hies (orldvie(s cosmology and
ontology it is im!ortant that (e set u! and establish certain milestones (ithin the
debate.These !hiloso!hical benchmarks (ill serve as logical canons that (ill assist the
scholars of ! African !hiloso!hy to generate rational !ro!ositions and contributions that
(ill enrich !hiloso!hy as a human academic disci!line (ith a dynamic African !ortal.
The term 0African’ obviously 6ualifies both the content of the !hiloso!hy that belongs
to Africans as a cultural grou! and the !hiloso!hers that have trodden the !ioneer
grounds of the disci!line (ithin and outside the continent both indigenous dias!ora or
lovers of Africa. 96ually the contributions to the debate should be com!artmentali<ed
along the core outlines dra(n from the milestones in the debate about African
!hiloso!hy that finally !uts to end a controversy that has lasted for more than five
decades. The frame(orks of these fundamentals define the intellectual tra/ectory
follo(ed by African !hiloso!hy and !hiloso!hers to have its formerly denied but
deserved !lace in the !antheon of (orld !hiloso!hy and !hiloso!hers restored back.
These fundamentals (ell ackno(ledged and defended in the (orks of such reno(ned
African !hiloso!hers such as Professors Moses Akin Makinde in his (ork 0African
Philoso!hy1 the demise of a controversy =;--,? and that of Maduabuchi Dukor=;-*;?
(hose 0Theistic Humanism of African Philoso!hy1 the great debate on substance and
method of !hiloso!hy’ attracted (orld5(ide !hiloso!hical acclaim as a landmark
contribution to African !hiloso!hical gro(th !rocess scholarshi! and debate.
These fundamentals finally laid to rest the negative as!ect of the controversy(hetherAfrican !hiloso!hy e)isted or not’ and d(elled on the !ositive as!ect of the debate55a
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search and research on the determination of the true content and methodology of
authentic African !hiloso!hy. The fundamentals of African !hiloso!hy (ill focus on
this !ositive and !ro5active dimension of African !hiloso!hy (ith references to e)tant
(orks both by African 9uro!ean and other !hiloso!hers (ho have made contributions
and others (ho (ill contribute in future to the scholarshi! on African !hiloso!hy. These
fundamentals can not be re5invented or challenged and they are as follo(s1
*. The cultural origin of every !hiloso!hy or (orldvie( arising from the cultural and
meta!hysical origin and ontology of the !eo!le of a culture3
;. The ability and ca!acity of the human s!ecie to e)ercise reason the basic
instrument of human !ersonhood and !ersonality used in !hiloso!hy and other
disci!lines3
B. The e)istence of cultural and !hiloso!hical bias and !re/udice among some (orld
scholars against everything ’African’ that seeks to demonstrate the irrationality of
denying the ability to !hiloso!hi<e and its !rocesses to Africans3
E. The undeniability of the African"9gy!tian origin of current (estern Philoso!hy as
an authentic human e)!erience that forms !art of the history of !hiloso!hy3F. The end of the controversy of the e)istence or none)istence of African !hiloso!hy3
G. Demarcation of De!artments and branches of African !hiloso!hy as a!!lied
recogni<ed and !racticed globally both in Africa and other %niversities in the
(orld es!ecially other #nstitutes"centers of African $tudies1
G.* 9thics human values and religion3
G.; Philoso!hy of science and technology3
G.B Philoso!hy of language3
G.E Philoso!hy of social science and humanities
G.F African e!istemology and meta!hysics3
G.G African !ersonality and !ersonhood3
G., African social"!olitical Thought3G.> Teaching learning and researching on !hiloso!hy3
G.+ African !hiloso!hy and !hiloso!hers today3
G.*- African !hiloso!hy in global Conte)t of other !hiloso!hies3
,. &e( Areas of research interests and contributions by scholars in Africa !hiloso!hy
and the millennium challenges of humanity.
African !hiloso!hy cannot ab initio become critical !rogressive or scientific at the
same time (hen contem!orary (estern !hiloso!hy started in 8reece around the Gth
century 4.C =Dukor1 ;-*-1 )? as 0an anti6uated and dogmatic mode of thought’ (ith
0mythological e)!lanations’ that sought over time to achieve a more systemati<ed
undogmatic system called !hiloso!hy and science’. As further su!!orted by Professor
Maduabuchi Dukor’s arguments mythology emerged both as allegorical and scientific
e)!lanations used by such !hiloso!hers like Plato and 7ruiter to establish (hat later
became scientific and !ara scientific models of scientific la(s. Philoso!hy and science
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(ere born in the 8reek (orld around si)th century. Then !hiloso!hers (ere an)ious to
substitute an anti6uated and dogmatic mode of thought mythological e)!lanations for
a more systemati<ed undogmatic system called !hiloso!hy and science. $ocrates and
Plato did not hesitate in critici<ing the old mythological religions and their gods. 4ut
ironically Plato’s 2e!ublic (as !unctuated (ith mythological elements. 2eferring to
the 2e!ublic 7ruiter dra(s a distinction bet(een myths as allegories as genetic
e)!lanation and as !ara scientific e)!lanation. 8enetic e)!lanation is the account of
creation in Timaeus (hile !ara scientific e)!lanations are the account of a future life
and the re(ards and !unishment for virtue given in the 2e!ublic 8eorgia’s Phaedo and
Pheadrus.
Therefore the mythological and allegorical dimensions of African !hiloso!hy is a
necessary gro(th !hase (hich all (orld !hiloso!hies including (estern !hiloso!hy
!assed through as a sto!5ga! and ste!!ing stones to a more logical systematic and
scientific maturation and gro(th. The myths beliefs and allegories embedded in African
!hiloso!hy are foundational and su!!ortive of a more coherent systematic and
contem!orary !hase of !hiloso!hical com!le)ity. Philoso!hical gro(th and
develo!ment moves from the sim!ly to the com!le) from the mythological to the
scientific from tradition to modernity from the sub/ective to the ob/ectives and the
incor!oreal to the cor!oreal. African !hiloso!hy is therefore gro(ing maturing and
e)!anding as the African !ersonality makes sense of inter!rets and seeks to e)!lain his
e)istential e)!eriences (hich he encounters daily in his environment and (orld. This
inter!retation made !ossible (ith the hel! of his myths allegories religions and values
becomes more organi<ed systematic coherent and scientific (ith timemoving from
e!istemic !hiloso!hy to institutional and measurable scientificity.
Accordingly it is this human and value based !hiloso!hy of the African !ersonality
Professor Maduabuchi Dukor e)!resses in African !hiloso!hy as the core three
thematic and cultural themes namely 8od Man and the universe =Dukor?.This
G
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!hiloso!hical trinity of 8od Man and the universe constitute the cornerstone of African
!hiloso!hy (hich he creatively e)!ressed as 0theistic humanism’. Theistic humanism is
inclusive and antici!atory of the critical coherent and scientific modeling (ith a later
gro(th !rocess and !ossibility in !hiloso!hical com!le)ity theorems hy!othesis as
African scientific !hiloso!hy. Theistic humanism is neither e)clusive nor !re/udicial to
scientific methodology the current !hase e)!ressed in contem!orary !hiloso!hy as
!hiloso!hy of science (ith all its la(s values methodology content and frame(orks.
A (ell noted by Dukor theistic humanism of African !hiloso!hy is mutually inclusive
and not !re/udicial to the 0critical in6uiring and theoretical scientific methodology of
contem!orary !hiloso!hy’. The logical link bet(een African !hiloso!hy theistic
humanism idealism em!iricism and scientific theorism as further e)!lained by
Professor Dukor is 6uite illuminating as it is !hiloso!hically e)!ository1
hat is today called African !hiloso!hy is organi<able into three thematic and cultural
themes namely 8od man and the universe. The African is an e)istentialist in res!ect of
his belief in 8od his a!!reciation of the intrinsic and e)trinsic (orth of man and the
!otentiality of the universe in its !hysical and mysterious latitudes. 4ecause of the
interrelationshi! among the conce!ts of 8od man and the universe # have conce!tuallyand materially characteri<ed African !hiloso!hy as theistic and humanistic and
secondly e)istentialist because for the African man is the measure of all things3 that
is e)istence !recedes essence an attribute and (ay of life (hich is sub/ect to
8od. African !hiloso!hy is therefore theistic humanism. This is (ithout !re/udice to
the critical en6uiry and theoretical scientific methodology of contem!orary
!hiloso!hy. 7or an authentic African !hiloso!hy to e)ist it must have a theistic
humanistic orientation u!on (hich all critical in6uiry and conce!tual analysis must
be done. #t is like em!iricism oridealism in estern !hiloso!hy. Theistic
humanism as the re!resentative doctrine of African !hiloso!hy is therefore an
amalgam of idealism and em!iricism or mythology genetic or !ara5scientific
e)!lanation of African !hiloso!hy. This cultural thematism and e)istentialism of
African !hiloso!hy called theistic humanism is hanged u!on the su!erstructure of
theism and humanism. This theory is the vie( that African literary endeavors
(orld vie( or cosmology their ontology aesthetics ethics and !olitics are
s!iritualThe African seeks to understand the religious su!erstructure of every being
and ob/ect the goal of African literature and !hiloso!hical endeavors is not
religious but humanism. Philoso!hy as a critical logical conce!tual and
,
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scientific enter!rise has humanism as its goal too. African theistic humanism is
a (orld vie( and could be a scientific vie( for that matter.
#t is therefore logically demonstrable that the goals of African !hiloso!hy and (estern
!hiloso!hy being theistic humanistic are similar and mutually inclusive at that !oint. To
the e)tent that African humanism and its theistic foundations /oined together to
establish the e!istemological meta!hysical su!erstructure of African !hiloso!hy to that
e)tent must scholars accede African !hiloso!hy its imagine mythology content
frame(ork from (hich it dra(s all the ra( materials for the gro(th develo!ment and
e)!ansion of its !hiloso!hy as an authentic !hiloso!hy (ith global res!ect. African
!hiloso!hy like estern !hiloso!hy is concerned (ith en6uiry into the truth of things
are conce!tual logical and critical clarification of conce!ts. Thus the fact that theistic
humanism is a frame(ork as advanced by Professor Dukor to e)!lain the (orld vie(
orientation attitude and values that defines secures and stabili<es the African search for
truth concerning 8od his true self and his universe is huge conce!tual frame(ork that
constitutes a methodological lea! that could be utili<ed to build a clarificatory
analytical and em!irical future su!erstructure for African !hiloso!hy. #n that sense
Professor Dukor has ended the controversy (eeded it of irrelevancies and fertili<ed the
roots of African scholarly and !hiloso!hical gro(th and e)!ansion. &one should
misinter!ret the heuristic and methodological !ossibilities of the orientational
foundation of theistic humanism. Again this !oint is (ell articulated by Professors
Dukor =)i?1
African theistic humanism is a (orld ne( and could be a scientific vie( for that
matter. #t must be em!hasi<ed that theistic humanism is not the goal of African
!hiloso!hy nor (ill any !hiloso!hy (hatever has any ideological goal by
definition. The goal of !hiloso!hy and African !hiloso!hy is investigation into the
truth of things via conce!tual logical and critical clarification of conce!ts. Any
other goal is a fall5out from this. Theistic humanism of African !hiloso!hy is not a
goal but the orientation of African !hiloso!hy. Contem!orary !rofessional
!hiloso!hers must !reserve the authenticity of Africans of African !hiloso!hy by
>
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starting their investigation from theistic humanism but may not retain this in the end
theory or result of their investigation logical analysis and conce!tual clarification.
3.0 Theistic humanism as the end of the reat debate and contro!ersy
The theistic humanistic orientation in African !hiloso!hy has created a dee! vista that
could o!en the creative (ells and s!rings of African !hiloso!hy and has the !otency to
generate a !ositive scholarly reactions that could be !roactive and !roductive instead of
the !ast efforts that (ere reactive and negatively un!roductive and unnecessary
argumentative. Too much effort (as (asted debating about the e)istence or non5
e)istence of African !hiloso!hy rather than !roducing scholarly !hiloso!hical tomes
from the theistic and humanistic minefields of African (isdom as evidenced by
Professor Dukor four great (orks of African !hiloso!hy the scholars (ere s!litting
heads over (hat may described as non5essentials of core !hiloso!hi<ing dra(ing a(aythe attention of scholars from the main challenges facing African !hiloso!hy1 building
the foundational systems concerning orientation frame(ork e!istemology and
methodology. The survey of the debate on is not ne( but has to do (ith the issue of
e)istence humanity and cognitive !o(er of Africans and the black !eo!le (hich
Professor Dukor=;-*-+? has also delineated as methodological1 0African !hiloso!hy
though seemingly neutral is not an o!ening of a ne( debate but an affirmation of
settled dusts over an e)istential issue3 the historical and e)istential humanity of black
!eo!le and the sustenance of the African as an e)istential com!osite being (ith
cognitive !o(er and body. This !resu!!oses a crisis from the background of African
!hiloso!hy and (hich i!so5factor necessitates a methodological a!!roach according to
this order’.
9ven though this debate at the initial stages (as seen as an argument that bordered on
the use and misuse of language it (as the idea of Professor Dukor=*-? to grou! the
!rofile of the contenders in the debate as the divergent s(ings of the arguments that
sho(ed trivial differences (hich # had observed and analy<ed in this !resent article1
The divergent s(ings of the arguments sho(ed so trivial differences that one might
have concluded that it (as mere !hiloso!hical misuse of language. &o sooner than
later k(esi (iredu began to talk of African orientation in !hiloso!hy3 (hich is
su!!osed to mean a critical a!!roach to African !hiloso!hy ancient and moderm.
#ndeed hountond/i oruka and (iredu cannot be clearly and nakedly !ortrayed as
being against African !hiloso!hy but raises fundamental 6uestions on the methodology.Peter 4odurin bluntly re/ected African !hiloso!hy in all its ramifications. 4ut in *++F
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at $.$ Peter and Paul $eminary #badan in &igeria he recanted his vie(s and /oined the
already over!acked hall of African !hiloso!hy. The other grou! (ho # call the
inclusivists or the iberalists acce!ted both the critical canons of !hiloso!hical discourse
as (ell as the semblance of this in African aboriginal thoughts (hich they insist much
not be discarded merely because it is not (estern. Today the confluence of these
tributaries of African !hiloso!hy is seen in the modern African !hiloso!hy (hich is
sub/ect to critical and scientific e)amination.
Professors Makinde =;--,1*? in his book 0African !hiloso!hy. The end of the
controversy has made the follo(ing observations about this diversionary and un5
substantial as!ect of the debate concerning African !hiloso!hy1
4et(een *+,F and *+>F the teachings !ublications and discussions on African
!hiloso!hy (ent on in African universities. 7or (hatever reasons the issues discussed
(ere not clearly labeled as African !hiloso!hy. They (ere called African traditional
thought. #t (as this idea of African traditional thought that led to a serious controversy
as to (hether or not African traditional thought could !ass as African !hiloso!hy.
Hence there (ere many !a!ers (hich !ointed at !hiloso!her’s ske!ticism about the
e)istence of African !hiloso!hy. &otable among them are the follo(ing1 9.A 2uch I#s
there an African !hiloso!hy second order vol.*** &o. ; *+,E Henri Maurier IDo (e
have African !hiloso!hyJ’’ in 2ichard A. right. ed. African !hiloso!hy &e( ork1
The 7ree Press *+GF!!.EG-5E,; H. :dera :ruka IMythologies as African !hiloso!hyL thought and !ractice1 an east African ournal vol + :ctober *+,; and
I7undamental Princi!les in the uestion of Africa !hiloso!hy second order vol iv
*+,F. Paul Hountond/i IAfrican !hiloso!hy1 Myth and 2eality thought and !ractice
vol. # *+,E and an e)!anded version African !hiloso!hy1 Myth and 2eality.
4loomington3 #ndiana university !ress *+>B K(esi iredu IHo( not to com!are
African traditional thought (ith (estern thought IChindaba &o. ;
uly"December *+,G and 2ichard A. righted’s 0’#nvestigating African
!hiloso!hy’’ in 2ichard A. righted. ed. above !!. E*5FG #t (as not until
*+,> that # (oke u! from my dogmatic slumber. That (ake u! call (as
occasioned by Professor Horton’s article entitled ITraditional thought and the
emerging African !hiloso!hyL !ublished in the second :rder vol. N# &o * *+,, !!
*G,5*G
The slumber that Professor Akin Moses Makinde (oke u! from (as caused by the bias
occasioned by influence of logical !ositivism and analytical frame(ork that informed
the non5acce!tance of African traditional thought as a !hiloso!hy (ith its o(n right.
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This bias made some of these (estern !hiloso!hers and Africans trained in the
analytical tradition of the (est to regard African traditional thought as non5
!hiloso!hical meaningless statements and myths =Makinde1;?. Professor Makinde then
(ondered (hy myths and allegories should be acce!table the (est as foundation stones
for the emergence of systematic and logical !hiloso!hy (hile the African myths and
beliefs should be re/ected as the necessary gro(th !rocess and !hase of an emerging
!hiloso!hical system (ith its logical and scientific categories. He further 6uestioned1
0(hat really is the difference bet(een African traditional thought and the myths (hich
Plato got from the (ritings of Homer (hich he =Plato? used to develo! some of his
!hiloso!hy that have become !art of estern !hiloso!hy. hat about Plato’s use of the
myths of 9ra Timaeus and doctrine of recollection (hich (ere used to /ustify the
transmigration and immortality of the soulJ hat if there (ere similar e)am!les in
Africa !hiloso!hical thoughtJ #t (as from the above !oint of vie( that # (oke u! to re5e)amine the !lace of traditional thought in the develo!ment of an authentic African
!hiloso!hy kno(ing fully (ell that the /ob has to start (ith meta!hysics or first
!hiloso!hy (hich is by far the most fertile area of discourse in African traditional
thoughtL.
9ven (hen the disci!linary designation changed from African traditional thought to
African !hiloso!hy it became still difficult for some of the (estern !hiloso!hy
analytical thinkers to decode the foundational authenticity of African traditional
thought myths and beliefs as the key to the construction of a future African
scientificity in !hiloso!hy a fact (hich Professor ole $oyinka =*+,>? ackno(ledged
as having the !otential of Idecoding the hidden stereoty!e of African thought system
by some (estern thinkers.’’ #nstead of concentrating u!on elaborating and building
u!on the content and categories of African !hiloso!hy the debate about its e)istence
raged on as an irony and an unnecessary !hiloso!hical s!eculation as observed
hereunder by Professor Makinde=;--,1B?1
African !hiloso!hy became a sub/ect of controversy about (hether or not there ( as an
African !hiloso!hy. My belief (as that if there (ere no African !hiloso!hy then (e must sto!
asking 6uestions about it because (e should not ask 6uestions about (hat did not e)ist on the
other hand if it e)isted then (e should sho( it by doing and (riting rather than talking about
it or engaging in endless talks about talks about.
Professor &(ala=*+,F?in the same vein has also em!hasi<ed on need for scholars to be
!ro5active and !ositive in their study and research of African !hiloso!hy1 I it is ho!ed
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that (ith concerted efforts on the !art of all those keen on develo!ing the field of I
African !hiloso!hyL it may not be long before enough materials could be develo!ed for
more s!eciali<ed studies into the areaL.
".0. The #reat $ebate on African Philosophy
The definition of (hat actually constituted the great debate in African
!hiloso!hy (as a trendy thing from the *+>-s to the *++-s.#nfact Professor Timothy
&(ala=;--,1B,5EE?delivering his ;--, #naugural lecture at the %niversity of &igeria
gives a refreshing !ers!ective on this literary !hiloso!hical contention concerning the
e)istence or other(ise of African !hiloso!hy1
7or t(o decades beginning from the early seventies a ma/or !hiloso!hical debate
raged among !hiloso!hy scholars in and outside Africa concerning the e)istence nature
and sco!e of African Philoso!hy. # called it the #reat $ebate on African Philosophy
because of the consummate !assion rigor e)tensive interest generated and the vast
amount of literature that !oured out in the !rocess.#t should ho(ever be !ointed out that
this debate (as !art of the t(entieth century discourse on African Philoso!hical and
cultural identity a debate !rovoked by 9urocentric vie(s on Africa borne under
conditions of 9uro!ean colonialism .The 8reat Debate (as in fact !art of the discourse
on African culture !hiloso!hy and identity (hich a !rocess of self5reflection among
Africans since the beginning of the t(entieth century. #t (as a !rocess radically
influenced by the historical e)!eriences of slaver and colonialism (ith its
accom!anying conce!tion of African by 9uro!eans as a continent (hose !eo!le have
Icontributed little or nothing to human ideas and civili<ationL.Throughout the !eriod of
the 8reat Debate # took no active !art in it because # (as busy (riting my book on
#gbo Philoso!hy as a !aradigm of African Philoso!hy and secondly as indicated
above # had already formulated t(o courses on African Philoso!hy (hich (ere being
taught at the %niversity of &igeria and beyond . $o to me3 at the time African
!hiloso!hy (as a reality. As a !hiloso!her and a dialectical thinker for that matter #
kne( that it is only through an unfettered free reign of the critical s!irit that mankind
can educate itself on the truth about the (orld and about his actions.Ho(ever #
follo(ed the !rogression and logic of the debate noting shifting !ositions as the
debaters gained more illumination on the sub/ect O matter. At the same time develo!ing
it as a field of study (orking out its content and methodology.
Professor T.% &(ala =;--,? ne)t (ent ahead not only to affirm and demonstrate the
e)istence of African !hiloso!hy but also offered one of the most brilliant criti6ues anderrors committed by those (ho (ere involved in the debate an error (hich according
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to him (as caused by the logical fallacy kno(n as 0ingnoratio elenchi’ since 0there (as
evidence of lack of ac6uaintance (ith the sub/ect O matter through concrete research
and thus inability to understand its actual dynamics’. This is the most serious !oint of
my criti6ue of the 8reat Debate and # charged the debaters of being guilty of the logical
error called #gnoratio elenchi’. Professor &(ala then outlined the logical frame(ork of
the errors committed by the debaters es!ecially those (ho had attem!ted to deny the
e)istence of African !hiloso!hy. :n the (hole he designated five erratical summons
that countered the non5e)istence argument and it is (orth(hile to give a full e)!osition
to these logical and cultural errors committed by those (ho (ould rather not acce!t the
reality of African !hiloso!hy an e)!anding and gro(ing !hiloso!hical reality (hich
Professor Dukor’s four ne( !hiloso!hical !ublications in African !hiloso!hy may have
laid to rest and brought the !ossibility of closing cha!ter on the !assionate debate that
has raged ceaselessly since the late si)ties. As argued by this (riter both in this and
other (orks Professor &(ala makes a clear case of the errors (ith the follo(ing
arguments1
# summari<ed the elements of this logical error as consisting in
i. arguing out of ignorance because he sub/ect O matter (as virtually unkno(n to
them3 ii. Arguing beside the mark and ans(ering to the (rong !oint because their
focus (as on African Traditional Philoso!hy as for e)am!le elaborated in !lacid tem!les
4antu !hiloso!hy. African Philoso!hy (as being e6uated to this strand of !hiloso!hy3
iii. There (as the further version of this error in (hat is called n logic Argumentum ad
Nerecundian. This means a!!eal to a so5 called res!ected authority in this case the
authority of (estern analytic !hiloso!hy. Traditional African !hiloso!hy being the focus
of attention (as found not meet the standards of (estern analytic !hiloso!hy and so it
(as dismissed as non.5 authentic3 iv. 96ually evident in this debate is another form of
ignoration elenchi sim!ly !ut as I&o. case abuse the !laintiff’s attorney’’. Thus
traditional African !hiloso!hy (as called I!hiloso!hy in a debased sense folk
!hiloso!hy ethno O !hiloso!hy etc3 v. 9urocentric #nfluence
The !re!onderant influence of 9urocentric educational background of the Debaters (asobvious. Most of the debaters (ere schooled in 9uro!ean rationalist and analytic
!hiloso!hy. $ome studied classics (hich inculated in them the lessons of the Aryan
Nersion of (orld intellectual history. This version credits the e(s and Hebre(s for
giving mankind religion the 2omans for la( and administration the 8reeks for
!hiloso!hy and science. All !revious civili<ations before them including 9gy!tian and
4abylonian Civili<ations (ere treated as !rimitive stages in the evolution of mankind.
Africa (as of course called the $ar% &ontinent3 vi. $tolen @egacy5#n his book. $tolen
legacy1 the 8reeks (ere not the author of 8reek Philoso!hy but the !eo!le of &orth
Africa commonly called the 9gy!tians 8eorge 8.M ames e)!osed 9uro!ean distortion
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of mankind’s intellectual and social history. He reaffirmed the !ioneer role of the
9gy!tians in the evolution of science mathematics !hiloso!hy and religion. He sho(ed
ho( 9uro!eans a!!ro!riated African contributions to the develo!ment of science and
!hiloso!hy as if they (ere 9uro!ean creations *>. the same !oint (as made by martin
4anal in his seminal (ork 4lack Athena1 the Afroasiatic roots of classical civili<ation.
Nol. # the fabrication of ancient 8reece. *+ The case of hy!anthia of 9gy!t is very
interesting. $he is the first (oman !hiloso!her astronomer and mathematician yet the
authoritative random house dictionary enters her name as a 8reek (oman3;- vii. the
error in the conce!tion of African !hiloso!hy5as # have em!hasi<ed above the key error in
the conce!tion of African !hiloso!hy by the debaters arose from a number of factors key
among (hich is their ignorance and lack of ac6uaintance (ith criticism of African
!hiloso!hy arose from 1 =a?. 96uation of African !hiloso!hy (ith traditional African
!hiloso!hy3 =b?. 96uating African traditional !hiloso!hy (ith African traditional religion
=c?. Contrasting African traditional !hiloso!hy (ith science3viii. Confessions of 9)!erts
To me it (as very ins!iring (atching the great !hiloso!hers fall into avoidable
intellectual errors.
'.0. Professor $u%or(s $econstruction ) reconstruction and conition of the reat
debate in African philosophy .
Having studied and researched dee!ly on the great debate and the great issues raised in
African !hiloso!hy Professor Dukor=;--F? no( (ent ahead to deconstruct reconstruct
and redefine the foundational !rinci!les (hat should constitute African !hiloso!hy. He
first traced the !hiloso!hical tra/ectory of the debate going through the dynamics andchallenges of modernity !ost5modernity and contem!orary !hiloso!hy before the
disci!line of African !hiloso!hy (as acce!ted and taught globally1
An e)amination of the status the legitimacy the ma! the meaning and the sco!e of
contem!orary African !hiloso!hy in the debate on African !hiloso!hy amounts to (hat
# call deconstruction reconstruction and cognition of African !hiloso!hy. #n the *+F-s
and *+G-s there (as a kind of recent African !hiloso!hy (hich ho(ever did not
attract (orld recognition because it (as vie(ed as a hybrid of the religious and the
cultural rather than the im!ersonal and !ure disci!line called !hiloso!hy. This is
follo(ed by a decade’s debate (hich resulted to an ob/ective theoretical academic and
substantive African !hiloso!hy studied all over the (orld. The dusts settled on the
6uestion of African !hiloso!hy after the hitherto most cynical and ske!tical grou!s
concerning the disci!line have either tacitly acce!ted the e!istemic !otentiality
(arrant ability of black !eo!le’s !hiloso!hy or have flung the door o!en for admission
of the school of African !hiloso!hy to the hall of learning for further d iscussions and
researches on its meta!hysical and e!istemological contributions to human kno(ledge.
Mention and talk of African !hiloso!hy is no longer seen as cognitive or e!istemic
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le!er or arro(head of static back(ard and ant5 kno(ledge voodoo and mysticism it
has ceased to be vie(ed (ith sus!icion and research on it is in !rogress. #t has become
a legitimate ne( field of methodological analytical and logical a!!lications. Hence
African !hiloso!hy like other disci!lines has dialectically !assed through all the
historical !hases of human evolution /ust like the (estern #ndian and Chinese
!hiloso!hies and ac6uired the inbuilt mechanism of change and res!onse to
modernity !ost5modernity and contem!orary !hiloso!hy.
Des!ite the fact that African !hiloso!hy has !assed and graduated through all the
kno(n !hases of human evolutionary though !atters and rational !rocesses of easoning
(e could still affirm and observe that contem!orary African !hiloso!hy (as declared
o!en by the debate on (hether African !hiloso!hy e)ists or not (ith contributions and
reactions leading to a ne( synthetical era of acce!tance and cognition as noted by
Dukor’s conce!tion of t(o schools of thought belo( in his comments1
The first school to emerge is of the vie( that there should be a reform of African
!hiloso!hy to accord (ith the (estern tradition so that it attains universality. Hence
iredu asserts Iuntil the last ten years or so the dominant conce!tion of African
!hiloso!hy (as of a !iece (ith the un5analytical a!!roach the 8hanaian !hiloso!her
again stated that African !hiloso!hy then (as held to be an im!licit !hiloso!hy1 it (as
the !hiloso!hy im!licit in the life thought and talk of the traditional African ethics and
morals of the society concerned. The 6uestion (hich has arisen for some contem!orary
Africans (ho are interested in e)!loiting the logical scientific and methodologicalresources of the modern (orld in their o(n !hiloso!hi<ing is (hy their efforts should
be !ut beyond the !ale of African !hiloso!hy by definition. #n the (estern !hiloso!hy
the idea of !hiloso!hy is !redicated on the same cultural subtraction as science.
Philoso!hy and science definitionally and functionally are densed (ith university.
Hence Kenyan !hiloso!her Henry :dera :ruka asserts1 :ne cannot rationally
combine a belief in the universality of !hiloso!hy (ith a belief in African !hiloso!hy. #f
!hiloso!hy is universal it a!!ears aburd to talk of African !hysics African
mathematics or African !hiloso!hy. hat (e should correctly talk about is not African
!hiloso!hy but rather African s!ecific issues in !hiloso!hy O issues and !roblem (hich
a !hiloso!her (ith an African cultural background (ould find it most necessary to
stress. 4ut such issues it is believed should not /ustify the use of such an a(kard and
academically discriminatory !hrase as IAfrican !hiloso!hy.
:n the other hand Professor Dukor labeled !hiloso!hers such as iredu Hountond/il
4odunrin and :ruka since they are the !hiloso!hers in Africa because they believe are
the lefists or the e)clusivist the monists or the universalists. The reason for labeling
them as is because 0(hile they maintain an e)treme leftist !osition there is another
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grou! at the e)treme right (ith some minority of the center (ing it must be stated that
the substance of the debate is !redicated on the 6uestion of African !hiloso!hy and the
method. K.c. Anyan(u 9mmanuel 9<e innocent :nyen(enyi @ucius outla( $o!hie
:lu(ole o. $odi!o k(ame 8yekye C.4. :kolo C.$. momoh etc are on the right of
the debate hence they leads advocacy for African !hiloso!hy’. K.C. Anyan(u=*+>F?
says that those (ho seek to determine (hat a !hiloso!hy is (ith one and only one
definition are mistaken. Hence he argues that1 0most !eo!le (ho ask about the
definition of !hiloso!hy find out that different !hiloso!hers give different definitions of
it and that innumerable definitions of !hiloso!hy seem to betray the !references of
each !hiloso!her and to sho( the im!ossibility of offering a sim!le definition of
!hiloso!hy or of having one !hiloso!hy acce!table to all men in all cultures and at all
timesL it can be said therefore that there are !hiloso!hies and not a !hiloso!hy and that
no matter ho( authoritative any definition of !hiloso!hy may be or ho( reno(ned is its
!rofounder it can never serve as an absolute standard for determining the validity of all
other !hiloso!hies’
2everend Chuk(udum :kolo=*++B?one of the veterans of the debate and a versatile
research in the field of African !hiloso!hy started his o(n contribution by stating
categorically that there is African !hiloso!hy because it is !hiloso!hy based on African
e)!erience and (orld vie( of Africans. He arguments are that1
0African !hiloso!hical thinking like the #ndian Chinese (estern etc. !hiloso!hical thinking is
one of the many modes of !hiloso!hi<ing or critically analy<ing and inter!reting reality as
different !eo!le races and cultures vie( it. #n African !hiloso!hy therefore the !hiloso!her
reflects and concentrates on African reality on the African his role and !lace in it and not on
reality as such nor on ism in the abstract.
According to him one does not have to characteri<e African !hiloso!hy and its
!hiloso!hical !rocess as either folk or !hiloso!hical sagacity or indeed any other kind
of !ossible sagacity. The grou! (ho (ants to affirm the e)istence of African
!hiloso!hy but (ould (ant it /ustified !erha!s by (estern 9uro!ean canonical
methodology are marginal as argued by Dukor.Professor Dukor names Professor
Mankinde as belonging to this grou! (ho (anted the African !hiloso!hical !rocess to
be in conformity to the (ays of the (est so that it could be a!!reciated and recogni<ed
by the (estern !hiloso!hers. Thusthis argument of a universal canon that must be
a!!lied to African !hiloso!hy. Hence Makinde=;--F? argues that1
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#t is from the various !hiloso!hical issues in African thought (hich in many res!ects
are found com!arable to some of the !hiloso!hical isses in (estern thoughts that a
!ositive discussion on and the teaching of African !hiloso!hy may more !rofitably be
initiated. 7rom a!!ro!riate com!arison and contrast different !hiloso!hical o!inions
(ould emerge and the difference if any bet(een the underlying assum!tions and
issues in African and (estern !hiloso!hies may be discovered. 4y doing this
!hiloso!hy in general and African !hiloso!hy in !articular is not the (orse for it.
#m!licit in Makinde’s vie( and the vie(s of the inclusivists is that !hiloso!hy is a
!roduct of culture =(orldvie(? or e)tenuating social order. #n other (ords every
!hiloso!hy has a culture or (orldvie(. The scholastics in estern !hiloso!hy (ere
informed by the religious (orldvie( (hile em!iricism (as informed by the scientific
and ske!tical (orldvie(. 4ut the task of !hiloso!hy is to e)!lain and analyse cultural
and social life for !rogress. Philoso!hy is dynamic and stresses the other(ise in theconte)t of the totality and being in general. The inclusivists a!!reciate all this hence
K. C. Anyan(u asserts1
hat is today called African !hiloso!hy are organi<able into three thematic and cultural
themes namely 8od man and the increase. The African is an e)istentialist in res!ect of
his belief in 8od his a!!reciation of the intrinsic and e)trinsic (orth of man and the
!otentiality of the universe in its !hysical and mysterious latitudes. 4ecause of the
interrelationshi! among the su!remacy of 8od man and his surrounding inverse # have
conce!tually and materially characteri<ed African !hiloso!hy as Theistic and
humanism and secondly described this as e)istentialism because for the African man is
the measure of all things that is e)istence !recedes essence but an attribute and (ay
of life (hich is sub/ect to 8od almighty. African !hiloso!hy is therefore theistic
humanism. This is (ithout !re/udice to the critical in6uiry and theoretical scientific
methodology of contem!orary !hiloso!hy. 7or an authentic African !hiloso!hy to e)ist
it must have a theistic humanistic orientation and u!on (hich all critical in6uiry and
conce!tual analysis must be done. #t is like em!iricism or idealism in estern
!hiloso!hy. Theistic humanism as the re!resentative doctrine of African !hiloso!hy is
an amalgam of idealism =!ortrayed by the !icture of 8od? and em!iricism =humanism
and materialism?.
Ho(ever no matter the arguments or the side that is contributing to the debate
Professor Dukor=;-*-E>? has argued reasonably (ell and made a !oint about the
anciency and age of the !hiloso!hical e)!erience(hichaccording to himcradled and
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trained other (estern !hiloso!hers (ho gave birth to the !hiloso!hy (e kno( as
(estern !hiloso!hy. He maintains this by saying that1
0it must be !ointed out that all evidence !oint to the ancient African or 9gy!tian civili<ation
and that the cradle of mankind or civili<ation could logically im!ly the cradle of !hiloso!hy
though it may not be a critical !hiloso!hy as the !hiloso!hy of the ancient 8reece the
2enaissance or the contem!orary times. #t is also argued that ma/or !re5$ocratic 8reek
Philoso!hers and $cientists such as Thales Ana)imenses Pythagonas 9m!odocles
Democritus =the atomist? Plato and Herodtus had to come to study in African before they felt
6ualified enough to start their o(n schools in a very direct and documented (ay. Hence the
assertion that African !hiloso!hy gave birth to estern !hiloso!hy science technology and
historical thought. History has it that Herodotus vo(ed to record the great and remarkable deeds
of the 8reeks and non58reeks so the they (in the reno(n they deserve Prof. Toaboan @iyoan
never hesitated to assert that it is on the basis of this that the 8reeks !ublici<ed African
achievements too and elaborated on them. According to a book the 0$tolen @egacy’ by 8eorge
8.M. ames’ the 8reek Philoso!hy is the stolen 9gy!tian !hiloso!hy. There (as nothing called
8reek !hiloso!hy instead the ancient 9gy!tians had develo!ed a very com!le) religious
system called the Mysteries (hich (as also the first system of salvation 8.M. ames !rocreated
a gra!hic !icture and account of ho( the 8reeks !lundered the 9gy!tian civili<ation. The
8reeks had the singular o!!ortunity of ac6uiring the 9gy!tian education first though the Persian
invasion and secondly through the invasion of Ala)ander the 8reat.
*.0. Professor $u%or)+umanism) Theism: African Philoso!hical Tradition and its
content
#n !hiloso!hy humanism as a conce!t signifies the ideological focus on the human
being and the !roblems of man in the society.#t (ill be a mistake ho(ever to
identify the humanism in Professor Dukor’s theism as the humanism of the
materialistic mold that concentrates on /ust the solution of (orld as!irationsdreams
and goals of man and his society.That mistake should not be made because the
!hiloso!hical (orld vie( evoked and invoked by theistic humanism generates a
different kind of emanci!atory a!!roach.This has to do (ith the solution of not /ust
the (orldly but also the !roblems of man beyond the earth that raises the value
threshold of man’s values beyond the ken of materialism and starts a ne( other5
(orldly conscious. This much (as agreed to by Dukor =,G?1
A !hiloso!hy is called humanistic (hen it centres round man and his !roblems.
$cientific or atheistic humanism therefore consists in the as!irations urges and ca!acities of
man and they have to be given the fullest but limited e)!ression. :n the other hand s!iritual or
theistic humanism asserts that man is not fully satisfied (ith the attainment of these (orldly
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goals. #t as!ires for and becomes conscious of the beyond it goes beyond the !hysical and
mechanical level and enters into a s!iritual level. $o in s!iritual or com!rehensive humanism
both ty!es of as!irations both !hysical and s!iritual have to be taken into account. #t is this
sense that the contem!orary African !hiloso!hy is Theistic humanism (hich goes beyond the
!rece!ts and !ostulate of atheistic humanism. Humanism im!lies all values of life like Truth
4eauty and 8oodness etc. hence it ackno(ledges all contributions to(ards truth beauty
goodness etc. #n this sense it is accommodative of science and literature.>-
Theistic humanism
im!lies and !ostulates that truth beauty goodness and standard of values (ere !erfect creations
of 8od the !erfect being and author of !erfect.
Thus the humanism is Professor Dukor maintains and sustains the s!iritual origin of
material and societal values. This is because the theism of 8od and the humanism of
man are dialectically and holistically connect and related. :ne cannot do (ithout the
other3 one flo(s from one and goes back to it in a !hiloso!hically circuitous manner.
Thus Dukor reconnects 8od to man in a constructive creative and !roductive sense
(hich gives African !hiloso!hy a value threshold and content that makes meaning in its
e!istemology and methodology. Thus nothing humanistic could be so if it is antithetical
to the good and betterment of the human race. These !oints had been made clearer by
Dukor=,+? in the follo(ing reasoning that makes even finer distinction bet(een $ellers’
humanism and a!!roaches nearer to that of 2a/khanna1
4ut humanisms (ithout Theisms lose more than half of its value and no genuine
humanism id !ossible (hich does not go beyond mere humanism i.e. to be really
human man must have his beginning and end in 8od5 Humanity and deity are
inse!arable related. The 6uestion is (hether all humanism is o!!osed to
su!ernaturalism or Divine &atural Cosmology is inclusive of the s!iritual element in
human nature (hich is the source and ground for all human values. #n theistic
Humanism the s!iritual element is the source of human values. 2a/khanna argues that
humanism must have faith in human values. According to her $ellers regards s!iritual
to be the ground of all values but he also goes (rong in his vie( of the s!iritual he
naturali<es the s!iritual. 4ut the s!iritual the basis of values must be different from
values themselves and that must be either amenable to reason or sensory e)!erience or
it is not. #f it is not 0the s!iritual’ hangs loose in $ellers Humanism (hich is essentially
scientific. et $ellers indirectly has to recogni<e the mysterious’ in another form. All
Humanism is (edded to the cause of human values and it cannot admit anything (hich
is destructive of human values.
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#n other (ords Professor Maduabuchis’ thesis is that !hiloso!hy must redefine
humanism (ith values that re informed by theism as the basis of !hiloso!hical en6uiry
motivation and !ractice. The kno(ledge that is !roduced by !hiloso!hy must be
kno(ledge that serves the good of man and betterment of the globe. The !rinci!al
!ro!ositions of his humanism theistic =Dukor>;? that could serve the as!irations of
mankind are delineated by him 6uite succinctly as follo(s1
Humanistic motivation of !hiloso!hical en6uiry and the value5basis of kno(ledge and reality
are the stand5!oints by (hich !hiloso!hy (ill have to s!eak the truth. #n other (ords
!hiloso!hy (ill have to enter into the moulds of humanism in order to be an effective force (ith
the modern man. Hence the basis of humanism can be !redicated on the follo(ing !ro!ositions1
a. Philoso!hy is a systematic and universal disci!line of effective thinking about man and
the %niverse.
b. Philoso!hy (ill have to derive much from all kinds of e)!eriences so far as they are
amenable to a rational inter!retation.
c. The em!hasis in !hiloso!hy should shift from e)istence man and his values (hich
constitute the ultimate motivation of !hiloso!hic en6uiry.
d. Nalues are to be based u!on universal and ob/ective standards and !ositive self5validity.
Human nature itself is a !ositive and ob/ective ground of values rather +G but there must
be a su!erhuman element as the referent !oint or the ground rule of values.
The argument about African !hiloso!hy according to Dukor arose in the first !lace
because those involved (ere 6uarrelling (hether to a!!ly the term 0!hiloso!hy’ as
used by the (est in describing evry other !hiloso!hy outside the (estern
hemis!here. This is !roblematic because the (est have also 6uarreled about using
the term !hiloso!hy (hen it comes to describing the !hiloso!hical e)!erience and
!rocess native to the Chinese and the #ndians before they (ere eventually acce!ted
and integrated into the global !hiloso!hical tradition1
0The term 0!hiloso!hy’ is used only in the conte)t of the tradition of the ancient 8reeks as
develo!ed in the (estern civili<ation hence there has been a controversy regarding the
e)istence of (hat is called 0African Philoso!hy’. $imilarly estern trained !hiloso!hers
have re/ected the a!!lication of the term 0!hiloso!hy’ to Darshana =#ndian !hiloso!hy? and
Chinese !hiloso!hy. The #ndians and the Chinese have had a long history of (ritten
tradition of !hiloso!hical (orld5vie(s embodying their moral ontological and
cosmological e)!lanations of life5here and life hereafter.et Africa has had a mi) of the oral
and (ritten traditions in different !laces of the continent and different times.
The benchmark and frame(ork for African !hiloso!hical tradition defines the
e!istemology methodology and a!!lications that dra( directly and indirectly from
Professor Dukor’s conce!t of 0theistic humanism’. Thus one could say (ithout fear of
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contradiction or e6uivocation that African Philoso!hical Tradition is essentially theistic
and humanistic. :ne the essential com!onents of this !hiloso!hical tradition Professor
Dukor comes u! (ith the ideas and conce!ts of 0theistic Pan!sychism’
0anthro!omor!hism and immanenism’ 0African conce!ts of !erson man and Destiny’
0the meta!hysical nature of man’ and ’the African conce!t of Mind and 4ody’. #t is
im!ortant to note that Professor Dukor takes his time and energy to elaborate on this
conce!ts (hich flo( naturally from his theistic humanism and have the agreement and
su!!ort of other African scholars and !hiloso!hers as mentioned earlier in this article.
hat are the contentual !hiloso!hical !illars basis and e)!ository conte)ts under
(hich he defined these terms and ideas as native to African !hiloso!hical traditionJ @et
us see ho( he conceives the !athology and mor!hology of these conce!ts that flo(
from the cosmological and ontological (orld vie(s of the African1
Professor $u%or on Theistic Panpsychism,010)pp1")1"/-1':
hatever may be the nativity or origin of a !eo!le (hatever may be their stage of civili<ation
it (ould be sheer dishonesty and !re/udice to deny their !hiloso!hy. Parrinder 8eoffrey rightly
!ut is saying 0’to say that African !eo!le have no system of thought e)!licit or assumed
(ould be to deny their humanity The !hiloso!hical !hrase I# think therefore # amL a!!liesto all menL. 2eligion !ermeates every as!ect of the lives of the #gbos. &o (onder then (hy
Parrinder observes that Ithe African (ere incurably religious !eo!leL. Contrary to the early
traveler’s (ritings on African #gbo religious !ractices feasts and ceremonies cannot in all
circumstances be necessarily e6uated to magical and idolatrous !ractices or fetishism. The term
Animism can be a!!lied to #gbo !hiloso!hy and religion and African at large not because they
(orshi! or revere em!ty ob/ects but because they believe that in every being or ob/ect there is
a vital !o(er or soul. The #gbo have a tendency to !ersonify nature because they believe that
there is a s!iritual force residing in every ob/ect of nature. 4ecause of that they recogni<e and
ackno(ledge the e)istence of a $u!reme 4eing (hich they call chuk(u (hich controls and
informs all other !o(ers. The oruba of &igeria call him :lorun and the 8a of southern 8hana
call Him &yonmo. This is a consciousness that marks the (hole of African !eo!le as Theistic
Pan!sychic animistsAn ancient #gbo man believe that everything that e)ist is a force and all
forces are interrelated in a theistic !anschychic necessity. Here lies the origin of #gbo
Communalism or $ocialism. Po(ers that e)ist include the divine and human animal and !lant
good and evil. Man in #gbo belief system is a social being (ho live in im!ortant relationshi!
(ith the natural (orld. $ince the #gbos believe in the interrelation of forces material and
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s!iritual their !hiloso!hy can be described as amalgam of materialism and idealism. According
to Parrinder African !hiloso!hy Isees in man a living !o(er the greatest of all created
beingsL 4ut man is de!endent on 8od and the #gbo conce!t of 8od is !ragmatic and
ontological. They believe in the authentic e)istence of 8od. To them e)istence is a necessary
and essential attribute of 8od. 4ut their a!!roach and understanding of divinities and gods
de!rived these categories of necessary e)istence but attribute to them !ossible e)istences
necessarily created by the su!reme 8od. They are all the conse6uences of the !otential acts of
8od. They believe the 8od is not an abstract being but a real and e)!erienced being too.
Professor $u%or on Anthropomorphism and Immanenism
,010) pp. 1'")-1'':
The #gbos have a clear conce!t of 8od. They believe that the $u!reme 4eing is a reality. Their
conce!tion of 8od is usually reflected in the names they give themselves and their children.
These names have religious !hiloso!hical and historical reference to 8od. 7or instance
Maduabuchi =man is not 8od? Chuk(udi =there is 8od? etc. Also Africa names of 8od reveal
the !eo!le’s e)!erience and regard of him for instance Chuk(u =#gbo? :lodumare =oruba?
&yame =Akan? etc. they came about these names through their reflections on the necessities of
the $u!reme 4eing. Although stories related to us by myths say that the su!reme deity Chuk(u
has retired to the sky the #gbos believe that 8od is ever !resent in their midst. The lesser gods
are channel through (hich 8od is a!!roached. African conce!ts of 8od and es!ecially that of
the #gbos are a solace to man in the face of the evils in the (orld. This is because as (e have
seen in one of the myths god has retired to a distant !lace living the affairs of the (orld under
the authority of the lesser gods and divinities. 8od remotely control the affairs of the (orld
through the lesser goods. $ome forces are believed by the #gbos to be manifestations of 8od’s
!o(er and they are often !ersonified as divinities. #t could be recalled that some scholars
described African culture as having degenerated from monotheism to !olytheism. 7or one thing
the #gbos for e)am!le still (orshi! and ackno(ledge the e)istence of one su!reme deity.
$econdly in a !olytheistic manner they revere and ackno(ledge the e)istence of gods and
divinities =forces and !o(ers? (hich they believe are channels of a!!roach to the almighty
8od. Thirdly African culture seems to be more !ragmatic and obliging in the sense that the
society and the individuals are al(ays under the surveillance of the gods (ho are believed to be
al(ays in the midst of the !eo!le. The Africans are unlike some Christians and Muslems (ho
believe in the 8od (ho is so highly mystified that one cannot reconcile Him and the evils in the
(orld. #n #gbo culture evil caused by man by u!setting the relation bet(een man god and 8od.
#n African !hiloso!hy there is both the anthro!omor!hic and immanent conce!tions of 8od.
Theologians and (riters tend to em!hasis only the former in order to seek its /ustification from
the (estern theories and frame(ork. The ontological reason and /ustification for the #gbo
anthro!omor!hic and immanent conce!t of 8od is sim!ly because of its !an!sychic animisticsu!erstructure.
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Professor $u%or on African concepts of person) man and $estiny
,010) pp1'")-1'':
Man and society are mutually inclusive conce!ts in virtually all cultures. &one e)ists
inde!endently of the other. # shall e)amine the conce!tion of man from the vantage !oint of its
relationshi! to society. The conce!t of man here is used as a generic term for human beings
including man and (oman and legitimi<ed by the fact that the conce!ts of !erson and destiny
are all ontological 6uestion about man as a human !erson. #t is interesting to note that almost
every conce!t in African thought is theocratic that is dense (ith religiosity. Therefore no
ade6uate understanding of African conce!t of man and society (ill suffice (ithout ade6uate
recognition of its theistic and humanistic undertones. #n African traditional thought the
meta!hysical nature of man re6uires of him some social and natural obligations (hich are
accom!lished (ith ritual. #t is called 02ites of !assages’ or 02hythms of life’3 the belief (hich
leads to eschatological beliefs in life after deaths. :n the mundane !lane man does not e)ist
alone in the universe5 he is (ith other beings. 4ut the belief in 0Destiny’ and 0Predestination’ in
African Traditional thought !resents meta!hysical !roblems. #f the conce!ts of 0destiny’ must
be retained in the le)icon of African thought then a distinction must be made bet(een it and
!redestination. Predestination so clashes (ith some fundamental African beliefs that its
e)istence as a conce!ts in African thought in !roblematic. #ssues raised here are generali<eabeon ground that (hatever obtains in t(o or more ethnic grou!s in back Africa roughly obtains in
the (hole of back Africa.
Professor $u%or on the metaphysical ature of man ,010)p.1":
African universe has been sho(n to be religious and onto theological one (ith the belief that
gods and s!irits constantly interfere in human affairs. According to . $. Mbiti the individual is
immersed in religious !artici!ation (hich starts before birth and continues after his death. 7or
him therefore and for the larger community of (hich he is !art to live is to caught u! in areligious drama. Practically everything is e)!lained and understood in terms of religion. #n a
!an!sychic sense every ob/ect rocks and so on are not em!ty ob/ects but religious ob/ects i.e.
natural !henomena are active and s!iritual forces of nature.
Professor $u%or on Mind and Body ,010)p.*:
The s!iritual com!onent of a !erson is all !ervading encom!assing and transcending. #t should
also be !ointed out here that the traditional !roblem of mind =as a mental entity? and the body
=as a !hysical entity? in (estern !hiloso!hy does not e)ist in African !hiloso!hy. This is morethan a mental !rocess (hich is that is something s!iritual3 the mind as a s!iritual !henomenon
is not located in any !art of the body but inferable from the brain. The body is the only
!hysically !erceivable entity yet (ith ontic s!iritual reality. Hence it is more a!!ro!riate to talk
of soul"s!irit and body interaction because no !roblem as such e)ist but a com!le) of s!iritual
relations (hich is still reducible to a dualistic conce!tion of !erson that is semblances of
miniature variations of more that t(o conce!tions of !erson are reducible to a dual conce!tion.
Therefore our discussion about mind and body here are actually about is cognitive e6uivalents.
&onclusion
Professor Dukor Maduabuchi=Dukor;-*-? has ascribed the !hiloso!hical dis!ute
concerning African !hiloso!hy3 the great debate on (hether it is myth ins!ired or
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colored to be 0’a misuse of the language of 0!hiloso!hy’ and a language game (hich
certainly talks of one and only one thing that is that African !hiloso!hy e)ist but that
it has to start critically for the religious (orld5vie( of the African’. 7or even though
that the 0e)clusivist school cannot deny the relevance of myths in the study of African
!hiloso!hy’ at the same time 0they are fully a(are that the ancient 8reek !hiloso!hy is
!unctuated (ith myths for instance in Plato’s 2e!ublic 8eorgias Phaedo and
Phaedrus’. As he further !ointed about the (orks of early 8reek !hiloso!hersthey
a!!lied myths as a ste!!ing stones and foundation to the construction of their
!hiloso!hy and (hat later became (estern !hiloso!hy1
#n these (orks you see allegories and !rescientific e)!lanations of the universe and yet they
are !hiloso!hies. The relevance of myth or religious (orld vie( as a source of material for
!hiloso!hic reflection is admitted by the e)clusivist school or the logical neo !ositivists and
!hiloso!hic criticism and reflection on the religious vie( is acce!ted by the inclusivist school
or ethno5!hiloso!hers. $o the debate is a mere language game that confuses !rioriti<ation of
either criticism or myth (ith !hiloso!hy (hen in actual fact !hiloso!hy demands that they be
!laced in dialectical and historical !ers!ective. Peter 4odunrin argues that not all rational
logical and com!licated conce!tual systems are !hiloso!hical. 4ut the goal of any !hiloso!hical
enter!rise =a critical !hiloso!hy in 4odunrin’s sense? is rationality and therefore if any system
rigorously strives to achieve that goal then it is !hiloso!hical. And !hiloso!hy in dialectical and
historical sense demands a movement from one stage of rationality to another in obedience to
changing circumstances. hat is ratinal today may not be rational tomorro( since that is
al(ays the case criticism and revision as demanded bythe logical neo !ositivists become
necessary. #n African !hiloso!hy the Paul 2adin’s Autochthonous intellectual class and 8ordon
Hornings Princi!le of synthesis set the machinery in motion for self5criticism and revision. And
illiam Abraham’s distinction bet(een !rivate and !ublic as!ects of African !hiloso!hy sho(s
that the !ublic as!ect is a critici<ed revised and harmoni<ed as!ect of individual and !rivate
!hiloso!hies of the Autochonous intellectual class. Therefore the rationality of any system in an
age is the !hiloso!hy of that age. ou cannot refute a myth because as soon as you treat it as
refutable you do not treat it as a myth but as a hy!othesis or historyL. $o the :gu !eo!le are not
under illusion about their belief in angbto. The origin or their belief (as in their (onder and
curiosity about the origin of the universe. The rationality involves here is (hat K.C. Anyan(u
calls the logic of aesthetics (hile formal logic deals (ith and results to abstractions logic of
aesthetics is the unity and meaningfulness of individual’ and community’s e)!eriences in life.
@ucy Mair and 2aymond firth may therefore be (rong in describing religious’ as irrational
unless if they (ere using (estern scientific methodology as their !arameter of rationality.
%niversality and rationality are an im!ortant ob/ect of !hiloso!hy. $o ho( rational and
universal is symbol in !hiloso!hyJ $ymbols in African culture have no s!ecial significance
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e)ce!t on the basis of Myths. $o to establish the !hiloso!hical significance of symbols and
vice5versa symbols can be sim!ly defined as ob/ects (ords language and sounds (hich more
often than not have esoteric meanings. The symbols can be sim!ly defined as ob/ects (ords
language and sounds (hich more often than not have esoteric meanings. The symbols in
angbeto cult therefore com!rises of rituals rites sacred (ords and names cult and magical
!ractices. 2ituals and rites are symbols because esoteric (orld and language are the backbone
of occult and magical !ractices5All (ords are s!iritual nothing is more s!iritual that (ords
%nless (e fully reali<e the !rofound influence of su!erstitions concerning (ords (e shall not
understand the fi)ity of certain (ides!read linguistic habits (hich still vitiate even the most careful
thing=Dukor*E>1$!ino<a.as 6uoted by H.C.K?
Contem!orary 9uro!ean arrogance and !ride had been !unctuated and e)cessively
im!licated in the (ell !roven theory and fact of the stolen legacy of African cultural
heritage and !hiloso!hy=Dukor*EF?.More so various scholars such as &(ala
Makinde ames 8.C Henry :leka :nye(uenyi :kafor and Dukor have !roven and
vigorously demonstrated that 0(hat (e call 8reek or (estern !hiloso!hy has its origin
in &orth Africa and 9gy!t=Africa?’.Again Professor Dukor has also stated that 0(hat
accounted for the ascendance of (hat is today called 9uro!ean culture and !hiloso!hy
is the !rogress of civili<ation from ancient Africa (hich included 9gy!t through 8reece
to 9uro!e3 that each civili<ation flourished and gave birth to a better civili<ation and
died’. Therefore (e can safely say that the African !roblem is the challenge of creating
the environment to enable a more stable scientific !roductive and creative scholarshi!
to rediscover the true essence of the African identity !ersonality culture and
!hiloso!hy by building u!on Professor Dukor Maduabuchi’s theistic humanism. This
stable environment of scholarshi! (ill em!o(er the African !hiloso!her and scholars to
discover more thresholds e)!and the e)isting find Africa’s !hiloso!hical mission in
culture and creatively contribute to(ards the solution of the myriad !roblems of
humanity a!!lying consistently the core human values dra(n from the theistic
humanism of African !hiloso!hy as redefined by Professor Dukor.That is the !ath of
African renaissance in the global village in the ne( Millenium.
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vie(’ in C.$ Momoh.African !hiloso!hy.Does it e)istJ.Diagones.!GF
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*G*5,+3in :dera :deku’The fundamental !rinci!les in the 6uestion of African
!hiloso!hy’ in right African !hiloso!hy $econd :rder Nol.#N &o. * !!.EE5EF.
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no.*E Tel5 aviv university #srael. The abstract a!!eared in !hiloso!hers inde)
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:hio %$A !B+G =!age >?3
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&o. B P!. E,5,G The Abstract A!!eared in Philoso!hers #nde) Nol. BG &o. ;
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the !hiloso!hical library &e( ork .
K(esi .=*+,;?.’:n an African orientation in !hiloso!hy.$econd
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