Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions
The age-old philosophical problem of evil, especially prominent in Western philosophy, as resulti... more The age-old philosophical problem of evil, especially prominent in Western philosophy, as resulting from the intellectual irreconcilability of some appellations of God with the presence of evil – indeed, of myriads of evil – in the world, has been debated upon by many African religious scholars; particularly, philosophers. These include John Mbiti, Kwasi Wiredu, Kwame Gyekye, E. B. Idowu and E.O. Oduwole. While the debate has often been about the existence or not of the problem of evil in African theology, not much philosophical discussion has taken place regarding death and its implications for African conception(s) of God. This paper attempts to contribute to the discussion of those implications. It explores the evilness of death, as exemplified in the African notion of “evil death,” and argues that the phenomenon of death presents itself in complex but interesting ways that do not philosophically ground its characterization as evil. Therefore, the problem of evil would not ...
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, 2018
Submission: February 21, 2018 Acceptance: May 23, 2018Author: Dr Hasskei M. MajeedTitle: Reincarn... more Submission: February 21, 2018 Acceptance: May 23, 2018Author: Dr Hasskei M. MajeedTitle: Reincarnation: A Question in the African Philosophy of MindPublisher: UNISA PressPages: 275Year of Publication: 2017Reviewer: Ada AGADA, Ph.D.Email: adaagada@gmail.com
Moderate communitarianism is a thesis introduced into African philosophical literature by the Aka... more Moderate communitarianism is a thesis introduced into African philosophical literature by the Akan philosopher Kwame Gyekye. He suggests that this thesis better accounts for the Akan and, to some extent, African social set-up than what he calls radical communitarianism (a thesis which he attributes especially to John Mbiti and Ifeanyi Menkiti). However, Gyekye is criticised by J. O. Famakinwa and B. Matolino for offering a concept which, in their estimation, is not different from radical communitarianism. In this paper, it is argued that the position of these two critics is not sustainable and that moderate communitarianism is significantly different from radical communitarianism. Key words: moderate communitarianism; radical communitarianism; clash of rights, primacy thesis; personhood; relationally; Akan philosophy.
Reincarnation is a belief which, many would agree, cuts across diverse cultures of the world toda... more Reincarnation is a belief which, many would agree, cuts across diverse cultures of the world today. What deserves to be pointed out, though, is that reincarnation, as a philosophical concept, seems to be a human concept – and as such, had been firmly postulated in ancient times as well. This point, without doubt, was true of the ancient Greek culture within which the Orphic mystery religion existed. The Orphic religion developed into a public religion of a sort between the sixth and fifth centuries BC, and spread mainly through the activities of its peregrine priests. Its philosophical ideas, including reincarnation, were expressed in connection with its ascetic doctrines and practices. As a result, the philosophical teachings of the Orphics were largely religious in nature. By virtue of the enormous philosophical orientation of Orphism, therefore, this paper deems it worthwhile to take a closer look at ancient Greek philosophy through the prism of Orphism. The article attempts to examine the concept of reincarnation as understood in ancient Greece, and discusses how well the concept could be traced to the metaphysical teachings of the Orphics. It thus seeks to show that some basic beliefs about life, death, and especially reincarnation held by numerous ancient Greek philosophers, could be said to rest on ideas found in the religious philosophy of the Orphics.
This paper explores how moderate communitarianism could bring about a greater sense of political ... more This paper explores how moderate communitarianism could bring about a greater sense of political morality in the practice of democracy in contemporary Africa. Moderate communitarianism is a thesis traceable to Kwame Gyekye, the Akan philosopher. This thesis is a moderation of the infl uence of the community in the Akan, an African social structure. In ensuring good political morality in the Akan, and therefore the African community, Gyekye proposes moral revolution over the enforcement of the law. I perform two main tasks in this article: (i) I reinforce the view that in a democratic framework (such as the framework within which many African states now fi nd themselves), moderate communitarianism offers lessons on political morality, and (ii) I challenge the notion that moral revolution has greater prospects for bringing about political morality than law enforcement.
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions
The age-old philosophical problem of evil, especially prominent in Western philosophy, as resulti... more The age-old philosophical problem of evil, especially prominent in Western philosophy, as resulting from the intellectual irreconcilability of some appellations of God with the presence of evil – indeed, of myriads of evil – in the world, has been debated upon by many African religious scholars; particularly, philosophers. These include John Mbiti, Kwasi Wiredu, Kwame Gyekye, E. B. Idowu and E.O. Oduwole. While the debate has often been about the existence or not of the problem of evil in African theology, not much philosophical discussion has taken place regarding death and its implications for African conception(s) of God. This paper attempts to contribute to the discussion of those implications. It explores the evilness of death, as exemplified in the African notion of “evil death,” and argues that the phenomenon of death presents itself in complex but interesting ways that do not philosophically ground its characterization as evil. Therefore, the problem of evil would not ...
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, 2018
Submission: February 21, 2018 Acceptance: May 23, 2018Author: Dr Hasskei M. MajeedTitle: Reincarn... more Submission: February 21, 2018 Acceptance: May 23, 2018Author: Dr Hasskei M. MajeedTitle: Reincarnation: A Question in the African Philosophy of MindPublisher: UNISA PressPages: 275Year of Publication: 2017Reviewer: Ada AGADA, Ph.D.Email: adaagada@gmail.com
Moderate communitarianism is a thesis introduced into African philosophical literature by the Aka... more Moderate communitarianism is a thesis introduced into African philosophical literature by the Akan philosopher Kwame Gyekye. He suggests that this thesis better accounts for the Akan and, to some extent, African social set-up than what he calls radical communitarianism (a thesis which he attributes especially to John Mbiti and Ifeanyi Menkiti). However, Gyekye is criticised by J. O. Famakinwa and B. Matolino for offering a concept which, in their estimation, is not different from radical communitarianism. In this paper, it is argued that the position of these two critics is not sustainable and that moderate communitarianism is significantly different from radical communitarianism. Key words: moderate communitarianism; radical communitarianism; clash of rights, primacy thesis; personhood; relationally; Akan philosophy.
Reincarnation is a belief which, many would agree, cuts across diverse cultures of the world toda... more Reincarnation is a belief which, many would agree, cuts across diverse cultures of the world today. What deserves to be pointed out, though, is that reincarnation, as a philosophical concept, seems to be a human concept – and as such, had been firmly postulated in ancient times as well. This point, without doubt, was true of the ancient Greek culture within which the Orphic mystery religion existed. The Orphic religion developed into a public religion of a sort between the sixth and fifth centuries BC, and spread mainly through the activities of its peregrine priests. Its philosophical ideas, including reincarnation, were expressed in connection with its ascetic doctrines and practices. As a result, the philosophical teachings of the Orphics were largely religious in nature. By virtue of the enormous philosophical orientation of Orphism, therefore, this paper deems it worthwhile to take a closer look at ancient Greek philosophy through the prism of Orphism. The article attempts to examine the concept of reincarnation as understood in ancient Greece, and discusses how well the concept could be traced to the metaphysical teachings of the Orphics. It thus seeks to show that some basic beliefs about life, death, and especially reincarnation held by numerous ancient Greek philosophers, could be said to rest on ideas found in the religious philosophy of the Orphics.
This paper explores how moderate communitarianism could bring about a greater sense of political ... more This paper explores how moderate communitarianism could bring about a greater sense of political morality in the practice of democracy in contemporary Africa. Moderate communitarianism is a thesis traceable to Kwame Gyekye, the Akan philosopher. This thesis is a moderation of the infl uence of the community in the Akan, an African social structure. In ensuring good political morality in the Akan, and therefore the African community, Gyekye proposes moral revolution over the enforcement of the law. I perform two main tasks in this article: (i) I reinforce the view that in a democratic framework (such as the framework within which many African states now fi nd themselves), moderate communitarianism offers lessons on political morality, and (ii) I challenge the notion that moral revolution has greater prospects for bringing about political morality than law enforcement.
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