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7African Philosophy of CommunalismIn Björn Freter, Elvis Imafidon & Mpho Tshivhase (eds.), Handbook of African Philosophy, Springer Verlag. pp. 13-30. 2023.The starting point of this chapter is that there is a basic distinction between indigenous African societies and Western societies. It is argued that while the former are largely communal, the latter are predominantly individualistic. The communal emphasis in indigenous African societies is demonstrated on the basis of Mbiti’s adage of “I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am,” while the individualistic attention in Western societies is exemplified on the basis of Descartes’ dictum…Read more
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27African Philosophy as Cultural Inquiry by Ivan Karp and D. A. Masolo, editorsPhilosophia Africana 6 (2): 89-97. 2003.
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7A Relational Moral Theory: African Ethics in and beyond the ContinentPhilosophical Papers 51 (3): 477-481. 2022.Much of what is taught in the discipline of philosophy in most universities in African countries is European philosophy. This is the reality that Thaddeus Metz met when he moved to South Africa in...
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17Communalism in African Cultures and the Naming System among the Luo of KenyaPhilosophia Africana 19 (2): 154-175. 2020.ABSTRACT The essay has two parts. The first part outlines one cardinal aspect that runs through traditional African societies: the communal spirit. It is argued that it is this aspect of traditional African societies that sets them apart from the individualistic Western societies. The notions of ontology, ethics, and marriage are used to characterize the communal spirit. The second part, which is the core of the essay, focuses on the naming system among the Luo ethnic group of Kenya. Three categ…Read more
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4Francis B. Nyamnjoh, 2005, Africa's media, democracy and the politics of belongingQuest - and African Journal of Philosophy 22 (1-2): 247-252. 2008.
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6Barry Hallen, 2006, African Philosophy: The analytic approach (review)Quest - and African Journal of Philosophy 21 (1-2): 315-324. 2007.
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3Philosophic sagacity: A classical comprehension and relevance to post-colonial social spaces in AfricaQuest - and African Journal of Philosophy 21 (1-2): 91-108. 2007.
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4A Short History of African Philosophy, by Barry HallenQuest - and African Journal of Philosophy 18 (1-2): 147-152. 2004.
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1Review of : S.O. Imbo, Oral traditions as philosophy: Okot p'Bitek's legacy for African philosophy (review)Quest - and African Journal of Philosophy 17 (1-2): 153-156. 2003.
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6An African savant: Henry Odera OrukaQuest - and African Journal of Philosophy 9 (2): 12-21. 1995.
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31Césaire’s Contribution to African PhilosophyFilosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10 (1): 35-54. 2021.The essay explicates Aimé Césaire’s contribution to the discipline of African philosophy, which ironically, is unknown to many scholars within African philosophy, especially in Anglophone Africa. In his Return to my Native Land, Césaire introduced two new concepts: “négritude” and “return”. These would later turn out to be crucial to the discourse on African identity and African philosophy. In his Discourse on Colonialism, Césaire raised two very closely related objections against Placide Tempel…Read more
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5The Evolution of Sagacity: The Three Stages of Oruka's PhilosophyPhilosophia Africana 5 (1): 19-32. 2002.
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26Reason and Sagacity in Africa: Odera Oruka’s Contribution to PhilosophyThought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya 4 (2): 169-184. 2012.Commentators on the four trends in contemporary African philosophy as enunciated by H. Odera Oruka frequently focus on the merits and demerits of each trend. However, many of them are obblivious to the way in which sagacity emancipates African philosophy by putting reason in its rightful pivotal position. This article argues that while the professional philosophers accused ethno-philosophers of doing disservice to African philosophy, they too stand accused of the same. This is due to the fact th…Read more
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90An Introduction to African Philosophy (review)International Philosophical Quarterly 40 (1): 117-119. 2000.
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19Foundations of ethics: a critical reader in moral and social philosophyUniversity of Nairobi Press. 2009.The book is divided into three parts. Part One takes the student through an exploration of some basic moral terms, concepts, principles and views. Part Two is devoted to two ethical theories: teleology and deontology while Part Three enunciates and discusses rule-utilitarianism, a third ethical theory.
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3Douglas Cannon, Deductive Logic in Natural Language Reviewed byPhilosophy in Review 23 (6): 378-380. 2003.
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59International justice and individual self-preservationJournal of Global Ethics 1 (2). 2005.The article explores the fundamental difference between two aspects of justice: international and global. It is then argued that for the sake of global justice, the difference can be overcome by taking a closer look at the basic human right of self-preservation in relation to moral agency, human well-being and social/distributive justice at both global and national levels. In an endeavour to attain global justice, the article defends an absolute moral right to a human minimum.
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196Trends and Issues in African PhilosophyPeter Lang. 2010.Introduction -- The historical phase -- Western discourse on Africa -- Egyptology : an African response to western discourse -- Afrocentricity -- African philosophy's ethnophilosophy -- Tempels on Bantu philosophy -- African religions and philosophy -- Horton on African and western thought systems -- General critiques -- Professional approach to African philosophy -- Ethnophilosophy and professional philosophy -- The myth and reality of African philosophy -- Traditional thought and modern philos…Read more
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African philosophy: an introductionThe Consolata Institute of Philosophy Press. 1995.The text introduces some of the basic questions regarding the definition and nature of African philosophy. In the first place the text discusses the conventional conception of the African mentality which stipulates that the black man's culture and mind are extremely alien to reason, logic, and various habits of scientific inquiry. In reaction to this conventional conception, the text looks at the views of some scholars who argued that Africa is actually the cradle of Western civilization and phi…Read more
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33The evolution of sagacity: The three stages of Oruka's philosophyPhilosophia Africana 5 (1): 19-32. 2002.
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14Conversations in philosophy: crossing the boundaries (edited book)Cambridge Scholars Press. 2008.The text consists of essays that revolve around the question of the nature and meaning of philosophy, even as it demonstrates philosophy's significance and relevance to some fundamental human problems and issues. The essays present diverse views of what philosophy might be and might aspire to be, with contributors being influenced by a wide range of philosophical approaches and traditions. The conversations also cut across disciplinary boundaries to interrogate and utilize ideas taken from ethic…Read more
Frederick Ochieng'-Odhiambo
The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill Campus
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The University of The West Indies, Cave Hill CampusProfessor
Areas of Specialization
African Philosophy: Themes |
Areas of Interest
African Philosophy: Metaphysics |
African Political Philosophy |
Applied Ethics |