•  573
    When pains are mental objects
    Philosophical Studies 115 (1): 33-53. 2003.
    In Why pains are not mental objects Guy Douglasrightly argues that pains are modes rather than objects ofperceptions or sensations. In this paper I try to go a stepfurther and argue that there are circumstances when pains canbecome objects even while they remain modes of experience.By analysing cases of extreme pain as presented by Scarry,Sartre, Wiesel, Grahek and Wall, I attempt to show thatintense physical pain may evolve into a force that, likeimagination, can make our most intense state of …Read more
  •  80
    The spatiality of pain
    South African Journal of Philosophy 25 (4): 336-349. 2006.
    How far can one ascribe a spatial meaning to pain? When I have a pain, for instance, in my leg, how should one understand the “in” in the “pain in my leg”? I argue (contrary to Noordhof) that pain does have a spatial meaning, but (contrary to Tye) that the spatiality of pain is not to be understood in the standard sense of spatial enclosure. Instead, spatiality has a special meaning with regard to pain. By defining pain in phenomenological terms as a disturbed form of bodily perception, I conten…Read more
  •  53
    The possibility of a science of consciousness Critical reflections on Dennett and Merleau-Ponty
    South African Journal of Philosophy 29 (2): 104-116. 2010.
    In his latest book, entitled “Sweet dreams”, Daniel Dennett confirms and expands on his argument for a natural science of human consciousness. He dubs his view heterophenomenology: a third-person, scientific form of phenomenological description that can account for the most private and ineffable subjective experiences. A central part of his book consists of a reinvention of Jackson's thought experiment about color blind scientist, Mary, who tries to figure out what color experience is like. I ex…Read more
  •  42
    When pain becomes unreal
    Philosophy Today 2 (2): 113-131. 2002.
  •  40
    Nietzsche and Neurology
    Nietzsche Studien 32 (1): 124-141. 2003.
    In this paper Nietzsche's physiology of pain is critically related to recent theories of neurology of pain. Nietzsche offers no encompassing notion of a neurology of pain like the well-known theories of, for instance, Melzack and Wall do. But, as will be shown, Nietzsche's notion of physiology offers a productive connection with contemporary neurology, particularly with Wall's newest notion of the neurology of pain. Thus I shall not discuss Nietzsche's view on science in general, but the possibl…Read more
  •  38
    Phenomenology of the human condition
    South African Journal of Philosophy 30 (2): 184-196. 2011.
    This paper addresses two issues. The first part deals with the classic question of human nature by focussing on the problem of human consciousness, in particular, the relationship between subjective and intentional consciousness. I argue for an essential link between subjectivity and intentionality by suggesting a phenomenological conception of the human condition. On this basis, the second part deals with what I call ‘humane’ ethics. This part shows that my conception of the human condition con…Read more
  •  36
    Nature Talk – Nature Talking?
    Proceedings of the Xxii World Congress of Philosophy 19 129-139. 2008.
  •  36
    On the nature of language – Heidegger and African Philosophy
    South African Journal of Philosophy 27 (4): 310-324. 2008.
    This paper explores links between Heidegger's notion of language and views in African philosophy. My contention is that Heidegger's daring phenomenology of language is also found and even radicalised within the framework of African philosophy, particularly the philosophy of myth. I argue that the exploration of the relation between these views of language offers the possibility not only to expand on the conventional conception of language but also to challenge the common notion of philosophical …Read more
  •  34
    Die sin van pyn. (The meaning of pain)
    South African Journal of Philosophy 19 (3): 235-254. 2000.
    Most contemporary discussions about pain take place within the frame work of materialistic theories. Their general point of departure is an attempt to explain mental pain in terms of physical pain. In this article I address two major problems, which materialistic theories deal with, from within a phenomenological perspective. The first problem is to find a physiological explanation of pain that leaves space for mental pain experience. The second problem, which I focus on, consists in the attempt…Read more
  •  34
    Volume 24, Issue 2, April 2019, Page 2-9.
  •  31
    Educating pain
    South African Journal of Philosophy 21 (2): 122-132. 2002.
    In times in which we ask ourselves how political cruelty and torments can be forgotten, Nietzsche's pleadoyer for pain to serve the purpose of education, surprises. What might sound like a mere provocation, rather lies at the heart of the Nietzschean philosophy. As is pointed out, Nietzsche's contention that pain is the most powerful aid to mnemonics, originates from his philosophy of pain as the main condition of all forms of creation. The title “educating (bilden) pain” expresses Nietsche's ad…Read more
  •  27
    The Problem of Defining Pain
    Philosophy Today 52 (1): 3-14. 2008.
  •  26
    Volume 24, Issue 2, April 2019, Page 1-1.
  •  23
    Identity and Difference
    Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology 47 (2): 95-97. 2016.
  •  20
    The Place of Philosophy in Africa
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 54 (4): 502-520. 2016.
    Recently there has been a strong movement towards reflections about the “geography of reason,” especially among philosophers who deal with postcolonial thinking. There is also a renewed interest among different schools of thought, both analytical and continental, in the ways our “life world,” or “embodiment,” or “situated cognition,” shape our minds and eventually the philosophy we do. As a result, we have seen some recent publications on the nature and import of the concept of “place” by author…Read more
  •  20
    Phenomenology and Naturalism
    International Journal of Philosophical Studies 24 (3): 285-288. 2016.
  •  19
    Wings of desire: Reflections on sexual desire, identity and freedom
    South African Journal of Philosophy 37 (4): 452-465. 2018.
    The aim of this paper is to give a critical discussion of Sartre’s concept of sexual desire and its relation to self-identity and freedom. Why Sartre? Sartre is one of very few philosophers who offers a systematic account of sexual desire. He has influenced eminent philosophical concepts of sexual desire held by, for instance, de Beauvoir, Lacan, Foucault, Levinas, Irigaray and Butler, but not much is written about his own notion of sexual desire. This alone is reason to explore Sartre’s view. W…Read more
  •  17
    Place and Displacement: Towards a Distopological Approach
    International Journal of Philosophical Studies 27 (1): 31-56. 2019.
    ABSTRACTMost recently, debates on decolonization, transformation, and Africanization raise, again, critical questions about the continuous dominance of the Western practice of philosophy in an African place. Such debates bear particular reference to colonization; however, they are relevant to any place where displacement is an issue and transformation demanded. Yet, the concept of displacement receives surprisingly little attention in these debates or in literature on place. I argue that place a…Read more
  •  16
    African Phenomenology: Introductory Perspectives
    In Björn Freter, Elvis Imafidon & Mpho Tshivhase (eds.), Handbook of African Philosophy, Springer Verlag. pp. 509-535. 2023.
    Phenomenology is an emerging field within the broader domain of African and Africana philosophy. The phenomenological method, with its various approaches to studying the meaning of lived experience, is at the core of the thought of African philosophers such as Paulin Hountondji, Dismas A. Masolo, Achille Mbembe, Mabogo More, Tsenay Serequeberhan, Noel Chabani Manganyi, and proponents of Africana Philosophy such as WEB Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, Lucius Outlaw, Lewis Gordon, George Yancy, and Linda Ma…Read more
  •  16
    Heidegger in the township
    South African Journal of Philosophy 34 (2): 240-254. 2015.
  •  15
    The social dimension of pain
    Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 23 (2): 375-408. 2024.
    Contemporary pain literature increasingly acknowledges the need of a multidimensional approach to pain, which accounts for its complex biological, psychological and social components. This is reflected in the recently revised definition of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and some contemporary philosophical positions. This paper addresses the need to offer a theoretical approach that integrates the biopsychosocial and qualitative multidimensionality of pain by developin…Read more
  •  14
    Enactivist African Philosophy: A Response
    Philosophia Africana 22 (1): 10-22. 2023.
    In African Philosophy and Enactivist Cognition: The Space of Thought (2023), Bruce B. Janz introduces what he calls an enactivist African philosophy. The book makes a significant contribution to African philosophy as no other work has yet made the connection between African philosophy and enactivism. This article’s aim is to give a critical response to the book. It starts with some background by connecting Enactivist Cognition with Janz’s earlier Philosophy in an African Place (2009). This is fo…Read more
  •  10
    Philosophy and Laughter: Introductory Notes
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 58 (4): 490-499. 2020.
    Until recently, few philosophers worked on laughter, and it was typically viewed negatively. However, the last four decades have witnessed a significant increase in philosophical writings about and positive views of laughter. This introductory paper attempts to show that, in line with this development, contributions to this special issue explore various fresh theoretical, thematic, historical, and critical aspects of laughter and its relation to philosophy. These contributions can be divided rou…Read more
  •  9
    When Pain Becomes Unreal
    Philosophy Today 46 (2): 115-130. 2002.
  •  8
    Brain drain: A communitarian response to Brock and Blake
    South African Journal of Philosophy 36 (1): 78-90. 2017.
  •  6
    Nietzsche and Neurology
    Nietzsche Studien 32 124-141. 2003.
  •  6
    Pain in Context: Indicators and Expressions of Animal Pain
    with Ian S. Olivier
    In Michael J. Glover & Les Mitchell (eds.), Animals as Experiencing Entities: Theories and Historical Narratives, Springer Nature Switzerland. pp. 61-96. 2024.
    This chapter aims to contribute to the endeavour of investigating nonhuman animals as experiencing subjects in their own right with their own species-specific histories. Our focus is on the examination of pain experience in animals. We argue that there is need for more research in which pain experience in animals is accounted for in species-specific terms. Making use of empirical studies in the fields of neurobiology, evolutionary-developmental biology, comparative psychology, and cognitive etho…Read more
  •  6
    The Spatiality of Pain
    South African Journal of Philosophy 25 (4): 336-349. 2006.
    How far can one ascribe a spatial meaning to pain? When I have a pain, for instance, in my leg, how should one understand the “in” in the “pain in my leg”? I argue (contrary to Noordhof) that pain does have a spatial meaning, but (contrary to Tye) that the spatiality of pain is not to be understood in the standard sense of spatial enclosure. Instead, spatiality has a special meaning with regard to pain. By defining pain in phenomenological terms as a disturbed form of bodily perception, I conten…Read more
  •  6
    Phenomenology in an African context: contributions and challenges (edited book)
    with Malesela John Lamola and Justin Sands
    State University of New York Press. 2023.
    The first edited collection to offer a systematic introduction to African phenomenology.
  •  3
    Lost in Orientation
    Philosophy and Public Issues - Filosofia E Questioni Pubbliche. forthcoming.
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