The late ghanaian philosopher, kwame gyekye, in his work. Not in restoring a mythical conceptual scheme, but in using the akan concepts in a philosophical way as a basis for further philosophical enquiries in topics in mens life from an african akan perspective. In this important and pioneering book, kwame gyekye examines postcolonial african experience from a viewpoint receptive to aspects of both traditional african cultures and western political and moral theory. African philosophy is the philosophical discourse produced by indigenous africans and their descendants, including african americans. Sep 08, 2020 the akan conceptual scheme aug 28, choose how you want to monitor it.
Apr, 2019 kwame gyekye is the author of an essay on african philosophical thought 4. There is no question that kwasi wiredu and kwame gyekye are one of. Kwame gyekye, african people face a number of unique societal challenges, some stemming from the values and practices of their traditional cultures, others representing the legacy of european. I mean to suggest instead that the practice would need to be reevaluated and the necessary refinements made to it gyekye. Authored by kwame gyekye a harvardtrained ghanaian philosopher and currently a visiting professor at the university of pennsylvaniathe book offers a logical, lucid, and lively discussion on the basic values and philosophical assumptions underlying traditional african religion, social. Throughout, the notion that modernity must be equated with western values. The african philosopher kwame gyekye explores how the akan people of. Death and the afterlife in african culture, in kwasi wiredu, kwame gyek. This book offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times.
Tradition and modernity hardcover kwame gyekye oxford. The ghana academy of arts and academy was established nearly forty years ago in. Kwame gyekye discusses african causality with specific reference to the akan of west. African people, in their attempt to evolve ways of life compatible with an increasingly globalized world cultural, intellectual, and political scene, face a number of unique societal challenges, some stemming, gyekye argues, from traditional african values and practices, others representing the legacy of european colonialism. An essay on african philosophical thought pdf download. Pdf this article repudiates the dichotomy that african ethics is communitarian. Emeritus professor gyekye has numerous publications in international philosophical and scholarly journals. African cultural values by kwame gyekye, african cultural values books available in pdf, epub, mobi format. Download cultural universals and particulars books, wiredus discussion of culturally defined values and concepts, as well as his attention to such timely issues as human rights, makes this book invaluable interdisciplinary reading. Module pls1502 year of publication 2002 title of publication person and community in. Kwame gyekye author of an essay on african philosophical. Restrictions pro authors only online only open access only published only filter by language configure languages here.
Essays on kwame nkrumahs philosophy african philosophy. Kwame gyekye 1997, reflecting on the challenges faced by postcolonial. Module pls1502 year of publication 2002 title of publication person and community in african thoughtck. Critically employing western political and philosophical concepts to clear, comparative advantage, gyekye addresses a. African ethics is used to refer both to the moral beliefs and presuppositions of. Kwame gyekye, african ethics philpapers philosophical reflections on the kwam experience. African philosophers may be found in the various academic fields of philosophy, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy. Department of religion and human values, university of cape coast, university post office. Kwasi wiredu 1992, kwame gyekye 1996 and austin fagothey 1959.
Kwame gyekye, one of the most prominent philosophers in africa, argues that the economistic conception of development, which has all along been touted by development experts, and which has become the monolithic framework for. An essay on african philosophical thought temple university. He has brought much distinction and understanding to the teaching, research and exposition of african philosophy during the past two decades. This groundbreaking book examines the ways in which questions of culture and diversity impact on the values and ethics of social work. In their attempt to evolve ways of life appropriate to our modern world culture, african people and their society face a number of challenges. He is known for theorizing the concept of personhood on the basis of. African people, in their attempt to evolve ways of life compatible with an increasingly globalized world cultural, intellectual, and political scene, face a number of unique societal. Person and community in akan thought 101 by kwame gyekye chapter 6. A cursory reading of a few books on african philosophy suffices to make one pause with caution before writing once more on the subject. African people, in their attempt to evolve ways of life compatible with an increasingly globalized world cultural.
African philosophy and the decolonisation of education in africa. Using detailed case studies to illustrate key points for practice, richard hugman discusses how social workers can develop culturallycompetent ethical practice and work creatively with the tensions it sometimes involves. Throughout, gyekye challenges the notion that modernity for africa must be equated with western values and institutions, arguing instead that african modernity must be forged creatively within the furnace of africa s manysided cultural experience. We peruse the unimpeachable altering of this ebook in txt, djvu, epub, pdf, dr. Critically employing western political and philosophical concepts to clear, comparative advantage, gyekye addresses. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be. It must, gyekye argues, arise from african thought itself, relate to the culture out of which it grows, and provide the possibility of a. In this sustained and nuanced attempt to define a genuinely african philosophy, kwame gyekye rejects the idea that an african philosophy consists simply of the work of africans writing on philosophy. Critically employing western political and philosophical concepts to clear, comparative advantage, gyekye addresses a wide range of concrete problems afflicting postcolonial african states, such as ethnicity and nationbuilding, the relationship of tradition to modernity. For gyekye 1996, morality is a set of social rules and norms intended to guide the conduct of people in a society. When taken together, the positions advocated by du bois and gyekye seem to entail mutually exclusive. For wiredu 1992, morality in the strictest sense is universal and essential to human culture. A defense of kwame gyekye s moderate communitarianism. He explains that the rules and norms emerge from and are anchored in peoples beliefs about right and wrong conduct and good and bad character.
In my critical examination of his paper i shall start with arguments that emerge out of his understanding of african cultural practices or beliefs and his attribution to. Kwame gyekye thinks there is a distinction between what he calls radical communitarianism and his own version. Akan philosophy of the person stanford encyclopedia of. I declare that a critical exposition of kwame gyekyes communitarianism is my own work. Pdf individualism in african moral cultures researchgate. Theunexamined life ids opendocs institute of development.
Module pls1502 2002 person and community in african thought. Kwame gyekye born is a ghanaian philosopherand ghekye important figure in the development of modern african philosophy. Module pls1502 2002 person and community in african. Kwame gyekye this paper presents an overview of the relationship. Elected a fellow of the ghana academy of arts and sciences in april 1989, emeritus professor gyekye served as its honorary secretary in 19921993 and as the vicepresident arts of the academy from january 2003 to december 2006. Causation in modern african philosophical discourse.
Pdf culture and values ebook download and read online. Morality for him is, simply, the observance of rules for the harmonious adjustment of the interests of the individual to those of others in society. Kwame gyekye offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times. Apr 03, 2021 kwame gyekye pdf cinderella, survivor and saviour. Person and community council for research in values and. Philosophical reflections on the african experience. In the course of inquiry, one inevitably encounters the dominant themes of the question or identity of african philosophy, which can.
Morality in african thought person and community in african thought kwame gyekye the existence of a social structure is an out standing, in fact, a necessary feature of every human society. Cultural variations in the ideas of wellbeing for sustainable. Gyekye give a new direction in the history of african philosophy. Kwame gyekye offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern. The concept of person in african political philosophy. With striking flexibility and rare insight, gyekye assesses the value of both traditional and non african cultural components for the future of african societies and proposes alternative social and political models capable of forging a modernity appropriate for africa. A social structure is evolved not only to give effect to certain conceptions of human nature, but also to provide a framework. Dzobo part iii anthropology and metaphysics chapter 5. For gyekye, tradition and modernity are not antithetical, and we must be wary of any suggestion that what is modern is to be identified with the west, with other cultures, such as those in africa, adhering simply to traditional values. The value of a person in akan traditional life and thought. You navigational itemize by kwame gyekye tradition and modernity.
In their attempt to evolve ways of life appropriate to our modern world culture, says kwame gyekye, african people face a number of unique societal challenges, some stemming from the values and practices of their traditional cultures, others representing the legacy of. It is my contention that gyekye has a contribution to make towards the understanding of the social and political structures of multicultural communities in africa. Kwame gyekye analysis of text in view of the different approaches to the problem of personhood and community in african thought, gyekye finds it necessary to clarify some commonalities and differences among the different approaches within communitarianism, thus opening the way for further debate in this area. Philosophical reflections on the african experience defends a concept of metanationality i. Gyekye was an emeritus professor of philosophy at the university of ghana, and a visiting professor of philosophy and african american studies at temple university. Specifically, gyekye s project is an invitation to afrocommunitarian scholars to embrace a global culture of rights. Professor kwame gyekye is without a doubt one of the leading and erudite african scholars of philosophy that legon has produced. View notes gyekye person and community in african thought. The value of a person in akan traditional life and. Believing that the intellectual enterprise called philosophy is essentially a part of the cultural as well as historical experience of a people, that the concepts and problems that occupy the attention of philosophers placed in different cultural. Kwame gyekye 10 november 1939 april 2019 was a ghanaian philosopher, and an important figure in the development of modern african philosophy. This book offers philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times. Offering a philosophical clarification and theology, and ethics of the akan of ghana, gyekye argues that critical analyses of specific traditional african modes of thought are necessary to develop a distinctively african philosophy as well as cultural values in the modern world. Pdf from llb pls1502 at university of south africa.
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