Pearce's "African Philosophy and the Sociological Thesis" makes very interesting reading. Why it is interesting is not because it advances the frontiers of philosophical discourse in Africa or globally but because it shows that certain unwarranted dispositions die hard and that deliberate ignorance, if that is what is displayed, is hard to cure. In this article the author comments on the following contentions made by Pearce: (1) philosophy has no social relevance and/or responsibility; (2) philosophy is purely a linguistic activity concerned with analysis of concepts and examination; (3) philosophy derives from religion; (4) because African philosophy cannot supplant world philosophy, it lacks locus and legitimacy; (5) African philosophy pursues intellectual apartheid through an ethnophilosophical agenda; and (6) African philosophy is vulnerable to the Sociological Thesis and is voided by it. The author's rebuttal consists of a critical and analytic examination of Pearce's views, counterfactual illustrations, and elicitation of enthymemic presuppositions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Akiwowo, A.1980. Sociology in Africa today. Current Sociology28:2.
2.
—. 1983. Understanding interpretative sociology in the light of the Oriki of Orunmila. Journal of Cultures and Ideas1:139-57.
3.
Akiwowo, A., with O. Morakinyo.1981. The Yoruba ontology of personality and motivation. Journal of Social and Biological Structures4:19-38.
4.
Amoda, M.1978. Black world development. Proceedings of 1977 Festival of Black Arts and Culture. Lagos, Nigeria: Nigeria Magazine.
5.
Anyanwu, K.C.1989. The problem of method in African philosophy. In The substance of African philosophy, edited by C. S. Momoh, 126-49. Auchi, Nigeria: African Philosophy Publications.
6.
Appiah, K.A.1992. In my father's house. Oxford , England: Oxford University Press.
7.
Asante, M.K.1990. Kemet, Afrocentricity and knowledge. New Brunswick, NJ: Africa World Press.
8.
Awolalu, J.O., and P. Ade Dopamu.1979. West African traditional religion. Ibadan, Nigeria: Onibon-Oje Press.
9.
Ayer, A.J.1946. Language, truth and logic. New York : Dover Books.
10.
Ben Jochanan, Y, and J.H. Clarke.1991. New dimensions in African history. New Jersey: Africa World Press.
11.
Bernal, M.1991. Black Athena, the Afroasiatic roots of classical civilization . New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
12.
Bewaji, J.A.I.1987. "Sources and types of cognition: A critique of Western dualistic conception." Unpublished paper read to the Faculty of Arts Seminar, Ogun State University , Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria, September 25.
13.
—. 1990. Conceptual foundations of empirical knowledge scepticism . Nigerian Journal of Philosophy10 (1 & 2):24-35.
14.
—. 1991. Dr. Chn. Neugebauer's critical note on ethnophilosophy in the philosophical discourse in Africa: Some remarks. Quest4.
15.
—. 1992a. Body, mind and soul: A deconstruction of the body-mind problem from an African (Yoruba) philosophical perspective. Paper presented at the Intermountain Regional Meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers, Brigham Young University, March 12-14.
16.
—. 1992b. Olodumare: God in Yoruba belief and the problem of evil . Paper read to the Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies, March 20.
17.
—. 1993. Yoruba concept of destiny: Demystifying a theory . Paper read to the Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies, March 10.
18.
Budge, W.1907. The Egyptian Sudan, vols. 1-2. London: Kegan, Trench.
19.
Cesaire, A.1983. The collected poetry. Berkeley : University of California Press.
20.
Collingwood, R.G.1960. The idea of nature. New York : Oxford University Press.
21.
Diop, C.A.1974. The African origin of civilization. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.
22.
Evans-Prichard, E.E.1937. Witchcraft: Oracles and magic among the Azande . Oxford, England: Clarendon.
23.
—. 1956. Nuer religion. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
24.
Gbadegesin, E.S.1991. African philosophy. New York : Peter Lang.
25.
Gyekye, K.1987. An essay on African philosophical thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .
26.
Hallen, B., and J.O. Sodipo.1986. Knowledge, belief and witchcraft. London: Ethnographica.
27.
Haralambos, M., and M. Holborn.1991. Sociology: Themes and perspectives . London: Collins Educational .
28.
Horton, R.1967. African traditional thought and Western science . Africa38: 50-71, 155-87.
29.
[Reprinted in abridged form in Wilson, B. R., ed. 1970. Rationality. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell]
30.
—. 1982. Traditionality and modernity revisited. In Rationality and relativism, edited by M. Hollis and S. Lukes.Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell.
31.
Hountondji, P. J. 1983. African philosophy: Myth and reality. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
32.
Hume, D.1902. Enquiries concerning human understanding. Oxford, England: Clarendon. —.
33.
1978. A treatise of human nature. Oxford : Clarendon.
34.
Idowu, E.B.1962. Olodumare: God in Yoruba belief. London : Longman.
35.
Inikori, J.E.1993. Slavery and the rise of capitalism. Elsa Govia Memorial Lecture, University of the West Indies, April 12.
36.
James, G.G.M.1954. Stolen legacy. New York: Philosophical Library.
37.
Keita, L.D.1994. Pearce's "African Philosophy and the Sociological Thesis": Aresponse. Philosophy of the Social Sciences24:192-203.
38.
Levy-Bruhl, H.1910. Les fonctions mentales dans les societes inferieures . Paris: Alcan.
39.
Makinde, M.A.1988. African philosophy, culture and traditional medicine . Athens: Ohio University Monograph in International Studies, no. 53.
40.
Mbiti, J.S.1969. African religions and philosophy. Nairobi, Nigeria: Heinemann.
41.
Nelson, L.1965. Socratic method and critical philosophy. New York: Dover.
42.
Neugebauer, C.1991. Hegel and Kant: A refutation of their racism: Precondition for an African philosophy. Quest: Philosophical Discussions4 (2):51-73.
43.
Oke, M.1989. Logic of Yoruba conjunction. Oye: Ogun Journal of Arts2:116-129.
44.
Oruka, H.O.1991. Sage philosophy. Nairobi, Nigeria: African Centre for Technology Studies.
45.
Oruka, H.O., and F.D.A. Masolo.1983. Philosophy and cultures. Nairobi, Nigeria: Bookwise.
46.
P'Bitek, O.1970. African religions in Western scholarship. Nairobi, Nigeria: East African Literature Bureau.
47.
Pearce, Carol.1992. African Philosophy and the Sociological Thesis . Philosophy of the Social Sciences22 (4): 440-60.
48.
Quine, V.W.O.1953. From a logical point of view. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
49.
—. 1964. Word and object. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
50.
—. 1970. Philosophic logic. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
51.
—. 1987. Indeterminacy of translation again. Philosophy84:5-10.
52.
Rorty, R.1989. Contingency, irony and solidarity. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
53.
—. 1991. Objectivity, relativism and truth. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
54.
Sertima, I. van.1977. They came before Columbus: The African presence in ancient Americas. New York: Random House .
55.
Sodipo, J.O.1972. Notes on the concepts of cause and chance in Yoruba traditional thought. Second Order: An African Journal of Philosophy2 (2): 12-20.
56.
Soyinka, W.1978. Myth, literature and the African world. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Wolff, R.P.1992. About philosophy, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall .
67.
Wright, J.1991. Blood secrets: The true story of demon worship and ceremonial murder. New York: Berkeley Books .
68.
Abimbola, W.1976. Ifa. Ibadan, Nigeria: Oxford University Press.
69.
Akiwowo, A.1982. Ajogbe and Ajobi: Variations in the sociological theme of sociation. Inaugural lecture, University of Ife , Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
70.
Altham, J.E.J.1971. The logic of plurality. London : Methuen.
71.
Amoda, M.1978. Festac colloquium and Black world development. Nigeria Magazine.
72.
Barthes, R.1957. Mythologies. New York: Hill & Wang.
73.
Bewaji, J.A.I.1983. African philosophy: Some comments. Nigerian Journal of Philosophy3 (1&2):70-83.
74.
—. 1985. African beliefs. Pp. 307-360 in Nigerian life and culture, edited by T. Oyeneye and M. O. Soremi.Ibadan: Intec.
75.
—. 1988. African philosophy: Myth and reality: A review of P. J. Hountondji's African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Kenya Journal of Sciences, Series C.
76.
—. 1991. If S knows p, then p. Oye: Ogun Journal of Arts4:85-95.
77.
Calvocoressi, P.1985. Independent Africa and the world. London: Longman.
78.
Collingwood, R.G.1940a. An essay on metaphysics. London : Oxford University Press.
79.
—. 1940b. An autobiography. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
80.
Diop, C.A.1991. Civilization or barbarism. Chicago : Lawrence Hill Books.
81.
Gaskin, J.C.A.1989. Varieties of unbelief. London : Macmillan.
82.
Hare, W.1985. In defence of open-mindedness. Kingston , Canada: McGill-Queen's University Press .
83.
Hollis, M., and S. Lukes , eds. 1982. Rationality and relativism. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell.
84.
Jahn, J.1961. Muntu. New York: Grove Weidenfeld.
85.
Kolak, B., and R. Martin.1991. Self and identity. New York: Macmillan.
Momoh, C. S., ed. 1989a. Nigerian studies in religious tolerance, vol. 3: Religion and nation building. Lagos, Nigeria: John West.
88.
—. 1989b. Nigerian studies in religious tolerance, vol. 4: Philosophy ofreligious tolerance . Lagos, Nigeria: John West.
89.
—. 1989c. The substance of African philosophy. Auchi, Nigeria: African Philosophy Publications Project .
90.
Nkrumah, K.1964. Consciencism: Philosophy and ideology for decolonization . New York: Monthly Review.
91.
—. 1969. Neocolonialism: The last stages of Imperialism . New York: International.
92.
Nwakeze, P.C.1987. A critique of Olufemi Taiwo's criticism of "Legal Positivism and the African Legal Tradition." International Philosophical Quarterly27:101-105.
93.
Nwala, T.U.1985. Igbo philosophy. Lagos, Nigeria: Lantern Books.
94.
Nyerere, J.1962. Ujamaa: Essays on socialism. London : University of London Press.
95.
—. 1968. Freedom and socialism: Uhuru na Ujamaa. Dar-e-Salaam, Tanzania: Oxford Univerity Press.
96.
—. 1974. Man and development. London : Oxford University Press.
97.
Ogunyipe, O.1990. Universals of language. Oye: Ogun Journal of Arts3:97-101.
98.
Oheari, J.U.1988. Articulating a new philosophical basis for traditional medical practice. Journal of African Philosophy and Studies1 (1&2):1-12.
99.
Okafor, F.U.1984. Legal positivism and the African legal tradition . International Philosophical Quarterly33:158-164.
100.
Olela, H.1981. From ancient Africa to ancient Greece. Atlanta, GA: Select.
101.
Oluwole, S.B.1984. The rational basis of Yoruba ethical thinking. Nigerian Journal of Philosophy4 (1&2):14-25.
102.
Popper, K.R.1963. Conjectures and refutations. London : Routledge & Kegan Paul.
103.
Quine, V.W.O., and J.S. Ulian.1970. The web of belief. New York: Random House.
104.
Rorty, R.1979. Philosophy and the mirror of nature. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
105.
—. 1982. Consequences of pragmatism. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press.
106.
Roy, P. K. 1986. African theory of knowledge. Nigerian Journal of Philosophy6 (1&2):1-10.
107.
Ruch, E.A., and K.C. Anyanwu.1981. African philosophy. Rome: Catholic Book Agency.
108.
Serequeberhan, T.1991. African philosophy: The essential readings. New York: Paragon House.
109.
Soyinka, W.1981. Ake. New York: Vintage International.
110.
—. 1988. Art, dialogue and outrage. Ibadan: New Horn Press.
111.
Staniland, H.S.1979. What is philosophy?Second Order: An African Journal of Philosophy5 (2):3-10.
112.
Taiwo, O.1985. Legal positivism and the African legal tradition: A reply . International Philosophical Quarterly25:197-200.
113.
Terris, M.1979. An ancient basis for African philosophy. Second Order: An African Journal of Philosophy5 (2):27-36.
114.
Terris, M., and W. Rodney.1982. How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Washington, DC: Howard University Press .
115.
Westlake, H.G.1972. Relationships. Boston, MA: Ginn.
116.
Williams, C.1974. The destruction of Black civilization. Chicago: Third World Press.
117.
Wright, R., ed. 1984. African philosophy: An introduction. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
