(The above quote is a little change of words that Lou Holtz once said.)African philosophy is primarily concerned with:
1) tribalism
2) an identity with nature.
As Solomon and Higgins note, there is not much that we can literally read about African philosophy because of a lack of records (which might have been destroyed along with the downfall of the civilizations, among other things.) Africa, back then, was very much in the tradition of oral speaking. Still, the second component of their philosophy is surprisingly pertinent with those of other cultures spread across the globe. For example, native American tribes often gave thanks to their quarry; it was a way of showing reverence to the animals that they were killing in order to survive. Some Hindus believe in the process of reincarnation, and Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, stated that everything in nature has an essential purpose. These philosophies, in naturalistic sense, were legions ahead of their time. It's almost gross - and saddening - to think that our societies are losing a respect for nature and all that it has given us. There's much we can learn from the African tribal perspective of nature.
The first component is a little more tricky, considering that North America does not have a recent history of tribes. As such, it's hard for us to identify with them. However, let's not leave the subject matter there. One of the more controversial topic of tribalism - and one that also is in concordance if Confucian China - is that of the individual person. Unlike their sense of identity with nature, our group agreed that their philosophy of the individual person would not be compatible with the current society. They viewed that an individual only fully becomes a person when he or she became a part of the community; in a sense, rituals and ceremonies were essential to gaining one's identity. This is not to say that our own society doesn't have its "ceremonies" (turning 18, gaining one's license, turning 21, etc. are all unofficial - and by this, we mean "unspoken" - ceremonies that we view as a sign of maturity.) Alas, our ceremonies are just that --- signs of maturity, not the markings of the beginning and end of a person. It is now a common universally accepted assumption that a newborn baby is a person and should be treated as such. when the baby grows up and becomes old and eventually dies, he/she is no longer a person in the physical sense (the legacy of that person still lives on, however.) Other cultures had very differing perspectives which we decided we disagreed upon, but that doesn't mean we don't respect them.
Interesting picture up top, eh? Nature gives and takes away.
1) tribalism
2) an identity with nature.
As Solomon and Higgins note, there is not much that we can literally read about African philosophy because of a lack of records (which might have been destroyed along with the downfall of the civilizations, among other things.) Africa, back then, was very much in the tradition of oral speaking. Still, the second component of their philosophy is surprisingly pertinent with those of other cultures spread across the globe. For example, native American tribes often gave thanks to their quarry; it was a way of showing reverence to the animals that they were killing in order to survive. Some Hindus believe in the process of reincarnation, and Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, stated that everything in nature has an essential purpose. These philosophies, in naturalistic sense, were legions ahead of their time. It's almost gross - and saddening - to think that our societies are losing a respect for nature and all that it has given us. There's much we can learn from the African tribal perspective of nature.
The first component is a little more tricky, considering that North America does not have a recent history of tribes. As such, it's hard for us to identify with them. However, let's not leave the subject matter there. One of the more controversial topic of tribalism - and one that also is in concordance if Confucian China - is that of the individual person. Unlike their sense of identity with nature, our group agreed that their philosophy of the individual person would not be compatible with the current society. They viewed that an individual only fully becomes a person when he or she became a part of the community; in a sense, rituals and ceremonies were essential to gaining one's identity. This is not to say that our own society doesn't have its "ceremonies" (turning 18, gaining one's license, turning 21, etc. are all unofficial - and by this, we mean "unspoken" - ceremonies that we view as a sign of maturity.) Alas, our ceremonies are just that --- signs of maturity, not the markings of the beginning and end of a person. It is now a common universally accepted assumption that a newborn baby is a person and should be treated as such. when the baby grows up and becomes old and eventually dies, he/she is no longer a person in the physical sense (the legacy of that person still lives on, however.) Other cultures had very differing perspectives which we decided we disagreed upon, but that doesn't mean we don't respect them.
Interesting picture up top, eh? Nature gives and takes away.
The passage on African tribalism and how they viewed personhood as an achievement rather than an implication made me think about todays contemporary issues on abortion. I assume that African philosophers would be pro choice since they view the life of a child as nonexistant. Is a person's life achieved through ritual, or is everyone granted the gift of individuality since birth? Maybe Africans can tie their stance with the Native Americans and give their blessings to the fetus before the abortion process.
ReplyDeleteIf the African people don't value children innately, only as possibilities, then I'm led to agree with you Ryan, although that would be a rather difficult position to pitch in a modern debate.
ReplyDeleteRyan brings up an interesting point in regards to abortion. There is a lot to be said there, but as Cody said it would be difficult to pitch. We can hardly speak for these tribes.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's interesting how these cultures valued nature. They were quite ahead of their time in that sense, because global warming has become the hot (pun intended) topic in recent decades. Perhaps we should take a note from these African tribes and identify more with nature. After all, nearly everything in our lives has some connection to nature. Our breath, our diet, the bed we sleep in, and so on.