The african philosopher kwame gyekye explores how the akan people. In his view, every community or society recognizes the need to respect certain selfsustaining values. Akan philosophy of the person stanford encyclopedia of. Author gyekye, kwame subjects africa, subsaharan civilization philosophy history general africa, subsaharan. In their attempt to evolve ways of life appropriate to our modern world culture, african people and their society face a number of challenges. Igboin department of religion and african culture, adekunle ajasin university, akungbaakoko, ondo state, nigeria. However, in african cultural values he also mentions the significance of purely aesthetic qualities of african art. Much earlier adolphe louis cureau had written of the congo.
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. This essay explores representative africanist thought on personhood and community, highlighting especially the debate between ifeanyi menkiti and kwame gyekye on communitarianism, defined generally as relating to social organization in small, cooperative, partially collectivist communities. On the terms ethics and morality the term ethics is technically used by philosophers to mean a philosophical study of moralitymorality understood as a set of social rules, principles, norms that guide or are intended to guide the conduct of people in a society, and as beliefs about right and wrong conduct as well as good or bad character. Kwame gyekye this paper presents an overview of the relationship. If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. It can be understood either as a cultural claim or even as. The main objective of this paper is to examine african culture and values. Immortality and the nature of man in gra thought 153 by joyce engmann.
Accepted 19 may, 2011 it is no longer a debate that precolonial african life was heavily influenced by religion. Dec 29, 20 gyekye attempts an articulation of the visions of the essays contained in the book. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Person and community council for research in values. Person and community council for research in values and.
Profcssor kwame gyekye fga is a professor of philosophy in the department of philosophy. Clearly, he will explain to us in this lecture what he conceives to be the vision of our human nature, our human values and our common humanity, to which he will lead us over the dividing wall of our cultural identities. A method of disseminating cultural values show details. This book offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times. View notes gyekye person and community in african thought. African cultural values download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. 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.
A timely and powerful addition to postcolonial theory, tradition and modernity will. African cultural values download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Pdf african cultural values and personality factors among rural. On a communitarian ethos, equality and human rights in. African cultural values by professor of philosophy kwame gyekye, 9780965047005, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In ghana, after political independence from britain, kwame nkrumah 1964. About the author 1996 kwame gyekye is a professor of philosophy at the university of ghana.
Second, an appraisal or exploration of an african culture. Kwame gyekye offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times. Gyekye stresses the functional and economic aspects of traditional african art. Pdf this article repudiates the dichotomy that african ethics is communitarian relational and. The value of a person in akan traditional life and thought. Before generating conclusions, described here are the moral definition of personhood subject to the premises of the normative perspective and the distinction between a person and an individual that is, considering the former. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Tradition and modernity paperback kwame gyekye oxford. 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. Contemporary african philosophers and scholars on african cultures such as gyekye, gbadegesin, okolo, okafor, khapoya and okoye are advancing the same kind of argument.
In discussing african culture and values, we are not. Italics are mine different to the famous definition of a judgement of beauty as being. This, as mbiti has rightly pointed out, is because, it is religion, more than. 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. The ethics of a society is embedded in the ideas and beliefs about what is right or wrong, what is a good or bad character. Tradition and modernity hardcover kwame gyekye oxford. An introduction paperback february 1, 1996 by kwame gyekye author visit amazons kwame gyekye page. Module pls1502 year of publication 2002 title of publication person and community in.
Kwame gyekye is the author of an essay on african philosophical thought 4. Philosophical reflections on the african experience. 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. Audience specialized summary gyekye offers a philosophical interpretation and critical analysis of the african cultural experience in modern times, and shows how western philosophical concepts help in addressing a wide range of specifically african problems. Kwame gyekye, on the other hand, opines a somewhat. How moderate is kwame gyekyes moderate communitarianism. Person and community in african traditional thought that the individual comes to see himself as man, and it is by first knowing this community as a stubborn perduring fact of the psychophysical world that the individual also comes to know himself as a durable, more or less permanent, fact of this world. View notes gyekyeperson and community in african thought. There is no question that kwasi wiredu and kwame gyekye are one of. 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. This article undertakes a critical examination of kwame gyekyes main arguments for moderate communitarianism. Kwame gyekye, an essay on african philosophical thought. On a communitarian ethos, equality and human rights in africa. The chapter discusses the unresolved predicament of the most considerable level of connection between the society and its members that would be beneficial to both agents.
Jan 30, 2010 yccs director, john, has given me some serious homework. Emeritus professor kwame gyekye 10 november 1939 april 2019 was a ghanaian philosopher, and an important figure in the development of modern african philosophy. Kwame gyekye born is a ghanaian philosopherand ghekye important figure in the development of modern african philosophy. Nevertheless, the article concedes that the fact that gyekyes arguments do not undermine normative cultural relativism does not make the theory itself plausible. African cultural traditions and national consciousness in. Restrictions pro authors only online only open access only published only filter by language configure languages here. Kwasi wiredu 1992, kwame gyekye 1996 and austin fagothey 1959. Person and community in akan thought 101 by kwame gyekye chapter 6. Kwame gyekye author of an essay on african philosophical. This article examines kwame gyekyes critique of normative cultural relativism. 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 africas manysided cultural experience. Gyekye was professor of philosophy at the university of ghana, and a visiting professor of philosophy and africanamerican studies at temple university. Pdf individualism in african moral cultures researchgate. Kwame gyekye is a professor of philosophy at the university of ghana.
The concept of person in an african culture and its implication for social order elvis imafidon. One can summarize their views into eight african cultural values which includes. In discussing african culture and values, we are not presupposing that all african societies have the same. It argues that the implications of normative cultural relativism mentioned by gyekye do not necessarily undermine the theory. The village as an extension of the family, compels its citizens to strict communism, to dependence upon one another. African world and ideology religion and religious beliefs and their effects on the african community are the key to understanding the african world and ideology. Pdf from llb pls1502 at university of south africa. This thesis attempts to situate kwame nkrumahs intellectual works, in the development of ghanaian national consciousness and to examine his contribution on african cultural traditions to the evolution of ghanaian national consciousness in 1944 to 1966. African cultural values african cultural values have been discussed by j. Mclean person and community ghanaian philosophical studies, i edited by kwasi wiredu kwame gyekye published with the support of cipshunesco the council for research in values and philosophy.
Revisiting kwame gyekyes critique of normative cultural. 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. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Revisiting kwame gyekyes critique of normative cultural relativism 29 gyekyes support for universalism is based on some anthropological evidence and certain shared human values.
Even though philosophical ideas and concerns are originally inspired by and worked out in a cultural milieu, it does not necessarily follow, gyekye strongly believes, that the relevance of those ideas and insights is to be tetheed to the cultures that produced them. Contrary to the general belief among african scholars, it contends that gyekyes. Yccs director, john, has given me some serious homework. I mean to suggest instead that the practice would need to be reevaluated and the necessary refinements made to it gyekye. From the supposed primacy of the reality of the community, menkiti infers. African cultural values and personality factors among rural and urban.
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