African Ethics Flashcards
Modern times Recognised other ethical approaches including:
African
Eastern
Chinese
Although their approaches might be different, they all share a common notion of human dignity with the west
What is epistemology?
Refers to the creation and dissemination of recorded knowledge
What is the scope of epistemology
• What is the necessary and sufficient conditions of knowledge
• The nature of truth
• the nature of experience and meaning
• the place of reason in generating knowledge
• the place of of experience in generating knowledge
• what is the structure of knowledge and its limitations
• the relationship between knowledge and certainty
Give the metaphor for used for epistemology used by philosophers
“Think of a boat or fuselage, that has no foundations but owes its strength to the stability given by its interlocking parts… such is epistemology”.
African ethics is not unique in the sense that it relies on its own…
Indigenous knowledge
Indigenous knowledge
Sits at the centre of newly examined moral philosophies.
Increasing globalisation, movement & expansion has resulted in an expanded view of moral philosophy
Define indigenous knowledge
Knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. It contrasts with the international knowledge system generated by universities, research institutions and private firms. It is the basis for local-level decision making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, education, natural resource management and a host of other activities in rural communities “
D. Warren (World Bank)
African ethics has an;
INTEGRAL SPIRITUALITY - resulting in a “holistic world view”
INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY - including the living dead (ancestors), living, those still to be born and all creation
INTERDEPENDENCE AND CONNECTEDNESS - applies to all living beings
COMMUNAL ETHIC - a very real understanding & pragmatism with regards to the common good. Is considered to be community-centric
African ethics, what has it been called?
A morality of memoria
African ethics unpacked
African ethics and language was traditionally oral, which had led to criticism because it was not written down but it is subject to memory.
Due to the lack of written knowledge, African ethics was initially interpreted by the west. How can we say that their interpretations are authentic? How do we know that they haven’t been interpreted in western frameworks?
The persistent question asked of African ethics is
Is it philosophy or a practice?
Extract from John Donne’s poem that sums up African ethics
No man is an island
Chris Vervliet has written that
Ubuntu is rooted in a search towards African dignity
African ethics is considered to be
AN ETHNOPHILOSOPHY
Some stances of Ubuntu (5):
INDIVIDUALISM: Ubuntu has a personal at its core. They are an end in themselves
IZINTO: Ubuntu can only make sense in relation to persons
ISIDIMA: Ubuntu suggests that all persons have dignity which makes a person divine
MUTUALITY: Ubuntu is based on interdependence
RELATIONSHIPS: Ubuntu has these at its centre
Steve Biko says that a person is “the cornerstone of society”
