African philosophy
Subtitle: myth and reality
By: Paulin J. Hountondji ; translated by Henri Evans with the collaboration of Jonathan Rée ; Introduction by Abiola Irele.
Series: African systems of thought
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 1983
Place of publication: Bloomington
Language: eng; fre
Number of pages: 221
Subjects: Philosophy, African
Description: In this incisive, original exploration of the nature and future of African philosophy, Paulin J. Hountondji attacks a myth popularized by ethnophilosophers such as Placide Tempels and Alexis Kagame that there is an indigenous, collective African philosophy separate and distinct from the Western philosophical tradition. Hountondji contends that ideological manifestations of this view that stress the uniqueness of the African experience are protonationalist reactions against colonialism conducted, paradoxically, in the terms of colonialist discourse. Hountondji argues that a genuine African philosophy must assimilate and transcend the theoretical heritage of Western philosophy and must reflect a rigorous process of independent scientific inquiry. This edition is updated with a new preface in which Hountondji responds to his critics and clarifies misunderstandings about the book's conceptual framework.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Translation of: Sur la philosophie africaine.