African philosophy must reshape the very idea of philosophy, not fit a Western template

Evidence

When Africanist scholars raise the point that African philosophers must con- tribute their own understanding to the very idea and concept of philosophy, their concern is mainly directed at what they see as injustice within the idea of philoso- phy as articulated by the dominant tradition. It would seem that much of what is often neglected in the discipline of African philosophy are those areas that do not fit well within the dominant conception of Western philosophy which we have inherited. The concern is that Africa cannot be able to add its own imprint on what is already accepted as philosophy and therefore contribute to mapping the field instead of simply adopting and making Africa fit in the pre-existing model. Once Africa is able to do so (that is, add its own authentic forms of articulation), there is no doubt that the philosophical fecundity inherent in its traditions will begin to manifest. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 393

Categorization

Category: Causal Relationships

• XREF: This is the central decolonization-of-philosophy claim that underlies the whole book, echoing earlier chapters on Tempels’s place in African thought.

Related

• Africa’s neglected philosophical traditions can reshape the very definition of philosophy (similarity 0.93)
• African philosophy is both universal inquiry and continentally rooted cultural reflection (similarity 0.89)
• African philosophy is broader than Western philosophy because it includes the West. (similarity 0.89)
• Bantu Philosophy remains a pivotal reference for African philosophy despite its flaws (similarity 0.89)
• African philosophy may encompass Western philosophy as a subset in its scope (similarity 0.88)
• Treating African and Western as historical rather than geographical categories reveals shared philosophical ground. (similarity 0.88)
• Tempels’ Bantu Philosophy remains seminal to African philosophy despite its missionary origins (similarity 0.87)
• A complete African philosophy must also engage Western theories because of globalization (similarity 0.87)
• Scholars dispute whether Bantu Philosophy or Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy (similarity 0.87)
• Understanding communal philosophies is necessary for genuine mental decolonisation. (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy sifts Western ideas to reject racism yet adopt useful knowledge (similarity 0.87)
• African scholars collectively refute the colonial denial of African philosophy. (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy reduces to the relation between man, world and God (similarity 0.87)
• African philosophy has been defined more by negation than by positive formulation (similarity 0.86)
• Tempels grounded philosophy in local orientations rather than Western universals (similarity 0.86)

Broader Connections

• Plurality strengthens African philosophy’s imprint on world philosophy #expands (0.70) — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 400