Rethinking the History of African Philosophy

Abstract

In this chapter, Kwame critically reengages the subtle but fundamental issues involved in outlining the history of African philosophy. Kwame argues that the claim that Africans have no philosophy is no more true than the claim that they have no history. Its assertion and denial are both a function of a conception of philosophy or, else, a misconception. The chapter contends that the history of African philosophy, as a modern or post-colonial enterprise, is a short one if one insists on a Western characterization of philosophy; but the tradition of African philosophy is almost as old as human civilization, if ancient civilization with its associated mode of thinking is traced to Egypt. In rethinking the history of African philosophy, Kwame argues that one may not after all be able to escape fundamental questions about the definition of African philosophy. In the chapter, he critically interrogates two views and four questions about African philosophy.