Abstract
In this chapter, I aim to discuss the philosophy of African logic from the perspective of Ezumezu (an African) logic. In the first section, I will present some principles of African logic and show how they justify system of African logic. The interesting thing to note here is that these principles, in addition to being articulated from the African background ontology and world-view, will be universalised. I contend that this is where African philosophical assessment of African logic ought to begin because most critics of the idea of African logic agitate that an African system of logic, if it is ever possible will necessarily lack the tincture of universal applicability. I will narrow my inquiry down to the appraisal of African logic with an example of Ezumezu system. I will discuss some emergent issues in the scope and nature of African logic. This point is especially critical because it purveys a demonstration of a prototype system of an African logic. I will conclude by throwing further light on the merits, nature and promises of an African logic tradition.
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- 1.
See Animalu, O.E. Alexander and Jonathan O. Chimakonam . (2012) for a detailed discussion of this structure.
- 2.
See Uduma (2015: 99).
- 3.
See Chimakonam (2013).
- 4.
The acronyms stand for the worlds of matter, anti-matter and non-matter in African cosmology but while ‘MAN’ represents the abstract universals of these worlds, ‘man’ represents the particulars/definite entities in these worlds. See J. O. Chimakonam . 2012, pp. 29–32.
- 5.
- 6.
See the exchange of letters between Russell and Frege in Jean van Heijenoort, ed., (1967).
- 7.
Or the deracinés are those Africans who in their quest to ape the ways of the colonialists have lost touch with their native African cultures, and are yet not Europeans. So they are stuck in-between in cultural limbo.
- 8.
See Łukasiewicz J., 1920, “O logice trójwartościowej” (in Polish). Ruch filozoficzny 5:170–171. English translation: “On three-valued logic”, in L. Borkowski (ed.), (1970). Selected works by Jan Łukasiewicz, North–Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 87–88. In this initial work Lukasiewicz formulated and defined his theory as three-valued, although much later it has been generalized for all n-valued systems.
- 9.
It must be noted that Etuk was heavily influenced to this choice of concept by Leopold Sedar Senghor who had described African thought as some sort of emotive rationality.
- 10.
Ijiomah’s derivative, harmonious monism is in tune with the intermediate value where the two standard values achieve a functional bonding.
- 11.
See J. O. Chimakonam . “Ezumezu: A Variant of Three-valued Logic” (2014b). Earlier than this I had used this concept in other unpublished works. The first articulation of this theory began in 2008 and was first given in a conference lecture “Outline of African Logic for the Development of Thought, Science and Technology in Africa” (2011a).
- 12.
Most of the principles which now underscore my theory of African logic can be found in my previous works ibid (2011a); “Project on African Logic, From Thought System to Algorithmic Model: Impact on Science, Technology and Human Development” (2011b); Introducing African Science: Systematic and Philosophical Approach (2012); Alexander Animalu and Jonathan O. Chimakonam (2012).
- 13.
The likes of Ron Hubbard in his Scientology 0–1 describes single-valued logic as neither A nor ~A; but for Brad Hicks it simply states that “everything is x”. Some have also viewed single-valued logic as other-worldly. Like in Christianity, heaven is a place where there is absolute goodness.
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Chimakonam, J.O. (2019). Ezumezu as Philosophy of Logic. In: Ezumezu. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11075-8_6
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