This book provides a case for the de-stigmatisation of ethnophilosophy by demonstrating its continuing relevance in contemporary African philosophy. The book brings together established and brilliant young scholars who defend ethnophilosophy as a unique source of African philosophy with the capacity to colour African philosophical scholarship, thereby distinguishing African philosophy from other philosophical traditions of the world and setting the stage for philosophical dialogue in the 21st century characterised by multiculturalism and globalisation. The volume addresses the future of African philosophy by closely linking the past of this tradition with the exciting projects of the contemporary system builders whose works emerge from the ethnophilosophical while transcending it. The book is aimed at African philosophy experts, scholars of intercultural philosophy, African studies scholars and graduate students of African and intercultural philosophy.

This book gives an insightful account of how some fundamental phenomena and mechanisms control human consciousness, impacting the way we think, will, and act. The book identifies these phenomena and mechanisms as ihe mkpuchi anya, the super-maxim, and the inherently tension-laden ambivalent character of our experience of reality. It re-examines fundamental problems of philosophy from the perspective of ibuanyidanda (complementary reflection) and how the problems reappear in the way philosophy is conducted in Africa today. (Series: Studies in African Philosophy - Vol. 8)

This book offers a concise overview of the development of intercultural philosophy since the early 1990s, focusing on one of its key pioneers Heinz Kimmerle (1930– 2016). Building on influences from Gadamer, Heidegger, Derrida and Ramose, Kimmerle’s approach to intercultural philosophy is radical and fosters epistemic justice. Kimmerle critically reflected on his own western philosophical tradition, highlighting the problems of a discourse based on a dominant concept of rationality, and of excluding different approaches and participants. Instead, Kimmerle developed an alternative way of thinking, emphasizing the importance Of recognizing philosophies of different cultures. He focused particularly on African philosophies in academic discourse. In the book, the many layers of Kimmerle’s intercultural philosophy are revealed, exploring how dialectics, hermeneutics, deconstruction and decolonization can contribute to epistemic justice. The author goes beyond Kimmerle and demonstrates how Kimmerle’s approach can be further enhanced by using an intersectional approach and by engaging in dialogue with female philosophers and artists. This new study, which also introduces unpublished and untranslated texts from Kimmerle’s work in German and Dutch, will be of considerable interest to researchers of continental philosophy, intercultural and African philosophy, political philosophy, decolonial and feminist studies.

This volume is a collection of chapters about contemporary issues within African philosophy. They are issues African philosophy must grapple with to demonstrate its readiness to make a stand against some of the challenges society faces in the coming decade such as xenophobia, Afro-phobia, extreme poverty, democratic failure and migration. The text covers new methodical directions and there is focus on the conversationalist, complementarist and consolationist movements within the field as well as the place of the Indigenous Knowledge System.The collection speaks to African philosophy’s place in intellectual history with coverage of African Ethics and African socio-political philosophy. Contributors come from a variety of different backgrounds, institutions and countries. Through their innovative ideas, they provide fresh insight and intellectual energy. The book appeals to philosophy students and researchers.

The book Philosophy of Fear is a philosophical manual developed to aid human person overcome the limitations imposed on him by fear. The author recognizes two categories of fear (positive and negative) and blamed all forms of negative activities of human persons to negative category of fear, while he attributes all aspects of positive development to positive fear. The author further argues that since fear is fundamental to all beings, it ought to be given its philosophical brand name, and that is, philosophy of fear or fearism. He believes that fearism as a school of thought, will offer an expanding opportunities into the study of fear and it related challenges. In suggesting a workable methodology to the solution to fear problems, the author adopted unification- complementary approach, where fear and fearless (the opposites) are investigated in a unified and complementary manner in order to have a complete knowledge about fear. He uses love -courage as the method for decision making within the framework of fearism. This interpretative and explanative guide into the study of fear, if followed, will help human persons overcome all forms of negative fear, which this book has identified as an impediment to human development. The book is a must read for all those who want to use fear positively to confront their existential challenges.

This is the first comprehensive exploration of African ethics covering everything from normative ethics and applied ethics, to meta-ethics and methodology, as well as the history of its evolution. African Ethics provides an in-depth exploration of Ubuntu ethics which is defined as a set of values based on concepts such as reciprocity, mutual respect, and working towards the common good. Ubuntu ethics also strongly emphasize the place of human dignity. The book engages with both theory and practice and how these ethical ideas impact upon the actual lived experience of Africans. It also includes important political considerations such as the impact of imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism on African ethics as well as the negative impact of apartheid and the renaissance made possible by the 'The Truth and Reconciliation Commission' whose work was premised heavily on African ethical ideas. This book is not just a wide-ranging and incisive introduction but also a reformulation of key concepts and current debates in African ethics. Crucially, African Ethics is an inclusive text, one that speaks from an African perspective and contributes to the decolonizing of contemporary ethics.

This insightful book is the first edited book volume in the literature to concern itself, primarily, with the question of life’s meaning from the, largely under-explored, African perspective. In this collection, the authors have undertaken to answer this question, and other related questions, by showing some of the possible conceptions of life’s meaning that can be derived from traditional African perspectives. African Perspectives to the Question of Life's Meaning will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of philosophy, African studies, psychology, and religion. This book was originally published as a special issue of South African Journal of Philosophy.

This book examines the underexplored notion of epistemic marginalization of women in the African intellectual place. Women's issues are still very much neglected by governments, corporate bodies and academics in sub-Saharan Africa. The entrenched traditional world-views which privilege men over women make it difficult for the modern day challenges posed by the neglect of the feminine epistemic perspective, to become obvious. Contributors address these issues from both theoretical and practical perspectives, demonstrating what philosophy could do to ameliorate the epistemic marginalization of women, as well as ways in which African philosphy exacerbates this marginalization. Philosophy is supposed to teach us how to lead the good life in all its ramifications; why is it failing in this duty in Africa where the issue of women’s epistemic vision is concerned? The chapters raise feminist agitations to a new level; beginning from the regular campaigns for various women’s rights and reaching a climax in an epistemic struggle in which the knowledge-controlling power to create, acquire, evaluate, regulate and disseminate is proposed as the last frontier of feminism.

The story of African philosophy is surrounded by controversy. Decades after the “great debate” over its mere existence, many vital questions have been left unanswered. From examining the origins of African philosophy to addressing fundamental issues in ontology, epistemology, ethics, and political thought, this collection of essays brings fresh insight to questions both old and new. First time readers and seasoned scholars alike will find this book to be an essential resource in African thought. Atụọlụ Ọmalụ gives shape and direction to a hitherto formless discipline and heralds an exciting future for African philosophy.

In a major challenge to African philosophy, this book demonstrates the importance of the universalisation question for every committed African philosopher. Rooted in Africa’s colonial legacy, the universalisation question challenges the African thinker to show how authentically African philosophical concepts and phenomena can be universally applicable in a globalising world. In this highly original book, the author inserts the philosophy of consolationism into African philosophical discourse, constructing a unique philosophical system that is at once African and universally relevant. The book engages major African and Western philosophers of diverse ideological leanings in a compelling dialogue that announces the future of world philosophy as one of interculturality, in which a common philosophical horizon is forged out of the cultural diversities of the world for the edification of humanity in a continually changing world. This book will be an important read for researchers in the fields of African Studies, intercultural philosophy, philosophy of mind, and existentialism.