Oruka dismissed ethnophilosophy as myth and ethnology rather than philosophy

Evidence

According to Oruka, ethnophilosophy is more mythology and ethnology than philosophy proper (Oruka, 1972, 1975). In his ironic title, Mythologies as African Philosophy (1972), Oruka posits that mythologies should not be regarded as part of philosophy. He also draws a distinction between debased and exact usage of the term philosophy, “When one uses philosophy in the debased form one might (rightly) substitute mythology for philosophy” (Oruka, 1997, p. 28). He refers to Tempels’s notion of vital force as a “mythical and ugly phrase” (Oruka, 1997, p. 30). He laments that these mythological, ethnological, and religious writings “have so far been causing us trouble” in identifying African philosophy (Mosima, 2016, p. 74). He proposes, Although those writings may have played a role in initiating authentic philosophical works in Africa, the most they can now be offered is “thanks”; but it would be too much to offer them the philosophically serious title of “African philosophy.” — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 563

Categorization

• DEFINE: Marks the distinction between ‘debased’ and ‘exact’ usages of philosophy that anchors Oruka’s critique of ethnophilosophy.
• XREF: Cuts to the heart of the debate over what counts as authentic African philosophy, relevant throughout Beyond Bantu Philosophy.