Justifying the System of Ezumezu Logic: An Analysis of the Problematic Structure of ‘q na abughi q’

Abstract

Here, I hold conversations with the Nigerian philosopher Udo Etuk and the American philosopher W. V. O. Quine whose respective essays “The Possibility of African Logic” and “Carnap and Logical Truth” have stoked the fire of exciting conversations among some philosophers on the nature of logic within African intellectual landscape. I will demonstrate the potency of Etuk’s stimulation as an African philosopher of African origin and transcend the possibility question in African logic. I will further clarify the concept of African logic in order to answer the questions some colleagues and students have put across to me in the recent time. Some peers have continued to confront me with the question, is there any justification for the African logic project? I will attempt to provide them with some justifications. Thereafter, as part of the justifications, I will undertake a more rigorously committed exercise of investigating the structure: ‘q na abughi q’ which I suppose to be the hub of all controversies surrounding the logic question in African philosophy in this contemporary time. I will conclude following the insight of W. V. O. Quine that bad translators are responsible for the creation of what may be called the ‘pre-logicality’ thesis and adduce that ‘q complements not q’ which Africans accept as true is the correct translation of ‘q na abughi q’ rather than the contradiction ‘q and not q’.