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Between the Ontology and Logic Criteria of African Philosophy

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Method, Substance, and the Future of African Philosophy

Abstract

This chapter contends that the criterion question—“what is it that makes a philosophy African?”—is the most enduring question about the existence, and future direction, of African philosophy. Hountondji, Oruka, Bodunrin, Uduma, and Chimankonam are among those who have engaged with this question. I align myself with Chimakonam’s arguement that the proposals in respect of the criterion question put forward by a number of African philosophers are inadequate. However, I claim that he is mistaken to propose logic as the criterion for African philosophy. I argue that what makes a philosophy African is not its logic but its African background ontology. This chapter adopts the conversational method as its interrogative paradigm.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Ho untondji (1996: 62–67).

  2. 2.

    Oru ka (1975: 50).

  3. 3.

    Okere (1974: 5), Ud uma (2014).

  4. 4.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 45–48).

  5. 5.

    Fr ege (1960: xxii).

  6. 6.

    Wi redu (1984: 38).

  7. 7.

    Ibid: 42.

  8. 8.

    Ibid.

  9. 9.

    Ibid: 38.

  10. 10.

    Ram ose (2002: 35).

  11. 11.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 33–50).

  12. 12.

    Ibid: 35.

  13. 13.

    Chim akonam (n.d.: xii).

  14. 14.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 35).

  15. 15.

    Chim akonam (2015a: xiii).

  16. 16.

    Bo dunrin (1991: 72).

  17. 17.

    Chima konam (2015b: 40).

  18. 18.

    Udu ma (2014: 143).

  19. 19.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 43).

  20. 20.

    Ibid: 44.

  21. 21.

    Ibid.

  22. 22.

    O ruka (1975: 50).

  23. 23.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 36).

  24. 24.

    Ibid: 37.

  25. 25.

    Ibid: 38.

  26. 26.

    Nw ala (1985: 46).

  27. 27.

    Olu wole (1989: 209).

  28. 28.

    Chim akonam (2015b: 38).

  29. 29.

    Ibid: 42.

  30. 30.

    Ony ewuenyi (1991: 44–45).

  31. 31.

    Chi makonam (2015b: 42–43).

  32. 32.

    Ibid: 33.

  33. 33.

    Chim akonam (2015c: 101).

  34. 34.

    Ibid: 45–46; Chimakonam (2015c: 45–46).

  35. 35.

    Chima konam (2015c: 45–46, d: 110).

  36. 36.

    Chima konam (n.d.: 10).

  37. 37.

    Chima konam (2015c: 110).

  38. 38.

    Chima konam (2015c: 45–46, d: 110).

  39. 39.

    Chima konam (2015c: 45–46), d: 110).

  40. 40.

    Ibid: 106.

  41. 41.

    Chima konam (2015c: 45).

  42. 42.

    Uduma (2015: 26).

  43. 43.

    Ibid.

  44. 44.

    Ibid: 25.

  45. 45.

    Chima konam (2013: 73).

  46. 46.

    Ijiomah (2006: 30).

  47. 47.

    Dummett (1965: 431–432).

  48. 48.

    Chima konam (2012: 23–34).

  49. 49.

    Chim akonam (2014: 59).

  50. 50.

    Ijio mah (2000: 148).

  51. 51.

    Ijio mah (1996: 30).

  52. 52.

    Ogu gua and Ogu gua (2015: 245).

  53. 53.

    Ibid: 244.

  54. 54.

    Ibid: 243.

  55. 55.

    Aristotle (1947: Bk 5).

  56. 56.

    As ouzu (2012: 13).

  57. 57.

    Iji omah (1996: 50).

  58. 58.

    Az enabor (2010: 5).

  59. 59.

    On yewuenyi (1991: 85).

  60. 60.

    Obiajulu (2015: 53).

  61. 61.

    Ma solo (1994: 10).

  62. 62.

    Ma urier (1984: 30, 34).

  63. 63.

    Ibid: 35.

  64. 64.

    Ibid: 36.

  65. 65.

    Ibid: 34.

  66. 66.

    Ed et (2014: 625).

  67. 67.

    Mosima (2016: 22–23).

  68. 68.

    Ma urier (1984: 31).

  69. 69.

    Omoregbe (2004: 1).

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Acknowledgments

I wish to acknowledge The Conversational School of Philosophy (CSP), University of Calabar, Nigeria, whose funding enabled me to present a version of this essay at the September 9-11, 2015 African Philosophy Conference at the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as complete this research. Research Grant number: CSP/ART-CONF/RE-014672/2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria

    Lucky Uchenna Ogbonnaya

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  1. Lucky Uchenna Ogbonnaya
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  1. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Edwin E. Etieyibo

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Ogbonnaya, L.U. (2018). Between the Ontology and Logic Criteria of African Philosophy. In: Etieyibo, E. (eds) Method, Substance, and the Future of African Philosophy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70226-1_7

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