African philosophy has been defined more by negation than by positive formulation

Evidence

The various authors presented and examined herein are very straightforward in pointing out what African philosophy ought not to be. However, they rarely indicate what it should really be. Notwithstanding this scarcity, many authors have laid the foundations for the possibility of formulating African thought. When drawing any conclusions by taking into consideration what has been examined, one ought to keep in mind the very narrow link between philosophical reflection and the human feelings, “ethos” and the mystery which characterise the African soul. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 283

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

• DEFINE: Defines the state of African philosophy as largely negative (what it is not) with foundations but little constructive articulation.
• XREF: Connects to longstanding debates in comparative philosophy about defining African thought by contrast to Western categories.

Related

• African philosophy is both universal inquiry and continentally rooted cultural reflection (similarity 0.89)
• African scholars collectively refute the colonial denial of African philosophy. (similarity 0.88)
• Hountondji defines African philosophy procedurally by authorship rather than by content (similarity 0.88)
• African philosophy sifts Western ideas to reject racism yet adopt useful knowledge (similarity 0.88)
• The debate over African philosophy asks who is entitled to write it (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy reduces to the relation between man, world and God (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy may encompass Western philosophy as a subset in its scope (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy is broader than Western philosophy because it includes the West. (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy must reshape the very idea of philosophy, not fit a Western template (similarity 0.86)
• No African philosopher willingly accepts the label ethnophilosopher. (similarity 0.86)
• A complete African philosophy must also engage Western theories because of globalization (similarity 0.86)
• African philosophy must grow from indigenous cultural resources to enrich humanity. (similarity 0.86)
• Full African philosophy spans diverse strands traceable from Egyptian Kemet (similarity 0.86)
• African Vitalogy is African thinking analogous to but distinct from Western philosophy (similarity 0.85)
• African philosophy is formulated collectively rather than by named individuals (similarity 0.85)