An African Philosophy of Personhood, Morality, and Politics

An African Philosophy of Personhood, Morality, and Politics

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 3030155617

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This book explores the salient ethical idea of personhood in African philosophy. It is a philosophical exposition that pursues the ethical and political consequences of the normative idea of personhood as a robust or even foundational ethical category. Personhood refers to the moral achievements of the moral agent usually captured in terms of a virtuous character, which have consequences for both morality and politics. The aim is not to argue for the plausibility of the ethical and political consequences of the idea of personhood. Rather, the book showcases some of the moral-political content and consequences of the account it presents.


Book Synopsis An African Philosophy of Personhood, Morality, and Politics by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book An African Philosophy of Personhood, Morality, and Politics written by Motsamai Molefe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the salient ethical idea of personhood in African philosophy. It is a philosophical exposition that pursues the ethical and political consequences of the normative idea of personhood as a robust or even foundational ethical category. Personhood refers to the moral achievements of the moral agent usually captured in terms of a virtuous character, which have consequences for both morality and politics. The aim is not to argue for the plausibility of the ethical and political consequences of the idea of personhood. Rather, the book showcases some of the moral-political content and consequences of the account it presents.

African Personhood and Applied Ethics

African Personhood and Applied Ethics

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2020-02-03

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 192003370X

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Recently, the salient idea of personhood in the tradition of African philosophy has been objected to on various grounds. Two such objections stand out the book deals with a lot more. The first criticism is that the idea of personhood is patriarchal insofar as it elevates the status of men and marginalises women in society. The second criticism observes that the idea of personhood is characterised by speciesism. The essence of these concerns is that personhood fails to embody a robust moral-political view. African Personhood and Applied Ethics offers a philosophical explication of the ethics of personhood to give reasons why we should take it seriously as an African moral perspective that can contribute to global moral-political issues. The book points to the two facets that constitute the ethics of personhood an account of (1) moral perfection and (2) dignity. It then draws on the under-explored view of dignity qua the capacity for sympathy inherent in the moral idea of personhood to offer a unified account of selected themes in applied ethics, specifically women, animal and development.


Book Synopsis African Personhood and Applied Ethics by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book African Personhood and Applied Ethics written by Motsamai Molefe and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2020-02-03 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently, the salient idea of personhood in the tradition of African philosophy has been objected to on various grounds. Two such objections stand out the book deals with a lot more. The first criticism is that the idea of personhood is patriarchal insofar as it elevates the status of men and marginalises women in society. The second criticism observes that the idea of personhood is characterised by speciesism. The essence of these concerns is that personhood fails to embody a robust moral-political view. African Personhood and Applied Ethics offers a philosophical explication of the ethics of personhood to give reasons why we should take it seriously as an African moral perspective that can contribute to global moral-political issues. The book points to the two facets that constitute the ethics of personhood an account of (1) moral perfection and (2) dignity. It then draws on the under-explored view of dignity qua the capacity for sympathy inherent in the moral idea of personhood to offer a unified account of selected themes in applied ethics, specifically women, animal and development.

Human Dignity in African Philosophy

Human Dignity in African Philosophy

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-03-01

Total Pages: 85

ISBN-13: 3030932176

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This book throws a spotlight on the under-explored African perspective on the mercurial concept of human dignity. To do so, it employs two strategies. In the first instance, it considers African theories of human dignity: (1) vitality; (2) community; (3) Personhood. Secondly, it explores the plausibility of these theories by applying them to select applied ethics themes, specifically: animal ethics, disability ethics and euthanasia. The aim of this book is not to argue for the plausibility of these African theories, but to familiarize the global audience of philosophy, ethics and related disciplines (legal studies, sociology, bioethics and so on) with a neglected African perspective on this vital concept. The books is aimed at scholars of philosophy interested in non-European and specifically African perspective.


Book Synopsis Human Dignity in African Philosophy by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book Human Dignity in African Philosophy written by Motsamai Molefe and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-03-01 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book throws a spotlight on the under-explored African perspective on the mercurial concept of human dignity. To do so, it employs two strategies. In the first instance, it considers African theories of human dignity: (1) vitality; (2) community; (3) Personhood. Secondly, it explores the plausibility of these theories by applying them to select applied ethics themes, specifically: animal ethics, disability ethics and euthanasia. The aim of this book is not to argue for the plausibility of these African theories, but to familiarize the global audience of philosophy, ethics and related disciplines (legal studies, sociology, bioethics and so on) with a neglected African perspective on this vital concept. The books is aimed at scholars of philosophy interested in non-European and specifically African perspective.

Towards an African Political Philosophy of Needs

Towards an African Political Philosophy of Needs

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 3030644960

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This book focuses on the domains of moral philosophy, political philosophy, and political theory within African philosophy. At the heart of the volume is a call to imagine African political philosophy as embodying a needs-based political vision. While discourses in African political philosophy have fixated on the normative framework of human rights law to articulate demands for social and global justice, this book charts a new frontier in African political thought by turning from ‘rights’ to ‘needs.’ The authors aim to re-orient discourses in African philosophy beyond the impasse of rights-based confrontations to shift the conversation toward needs as a cornerstone of African political theory.


Book Synopsis Towards an African Political Philosophy of Needs by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book Towards an African Political Philosophy of Needs written by Motsamai Molefe and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-02-16 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on the domains of moral philosophy, political philosophy, and political theory within African philosophy. At the heart of the volume is a call to imagine African political philosophy as embodying a needs-based political vision. While discourses in African political philosophy have fixated on the normative framework of human rights law to articulate demands for social and global justice, this book charts a new frontier in African political thought by turning from ‘rights’ to ‘needs.’ The authors aim to re-orient discourses in African philosophy beyond the impasse of rights-based confrontations to shift the conversation toward needs as a cornerstone of African political theory.

Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person

Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person

Author: Edwin Etieyibo

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-07-24

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1498583660

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Ifeanyi Menkiti’s articulation of an African conception of personhood—especially in “Person and Community in African Traditional Thought” —has become very influential in African philosophy. Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person contributes to the debate in African philosophy on personhood by engaging with various aspects of Menkiti’s account of person and community. The contributors examine this account in relation to themes such as individualism, communalism, rights, individual liberty, moral agency, communal ethics, education, state and nation building, elderhood and ancestorhood. Through these themes, this book, edited by Edwin Etieyibo and Polycarp Ikuenobe, shows that Menkiti’s account of personhood in the context of community is both fundamental and foundational to epistemological, metaphysical, logical, ethical, legal, social and political issues in African thought systems.


Book Synopsis Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person by : Edwin Etieyibo

Download or read book Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person written by Edwin Etieyibo and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-07-24 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ifeanyi Menkiti’s articulation of an African conception of personhood—especially in “Person and Community in African Traditional Thought” —has become very influential in African philosophy. Menkiti on Community and Becoming a Person contributes to the debate in African philosophy on personhood by engaging with various aspects of Menkiti’s account of person and community. The contributors examine this account in relation to themes such as individualism, communalism, rights, individual liberty, moral agency, communal ethics, education, state and nation building, elderhood and ancestorhood. Through these themes, this book, edited by Edwin Etieyibo and Polycarp Ikuenobe, shows that Menkiti’s account of personhood in the context of community is both fundamental and foundational to epistemological, metaphysical, logical, ethical, legal, social and political issues in African thought systems.

Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy

Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy

Author: M. Molefe

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-11-10

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1498599443

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Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy fills the lacuna in African philosophy literature on the inherent tension between requirements of partiality (favoritism) and impartiality (equality). Motsamai Molefe deploys two strategies to philosophically resolve the tension between partiality and impartiality. The first strategy involves applying the moral theories of Kwasi Wiredu, Thaddeus Metz, and Kwame Gyekye to the problem. Finding their views useful in some ways and seriously limited in others, Molefe turns to the second strategy in which he invokes the salient normative concept of personhood in African cultures. Molefe argues that the concept of personhood adjoins theories of human dignity and moral perfection (virtue). The major insight that emerges is a robust ethical theory qua personhood that accommodates both partiality and impartiality. He grounds requirements of impartiality on human dignity, which operates largely as a macro-ethical concept that normatively informs the character of our social institutions (politics). Politics is characterized by fairness, equality, and impartiality. Partiality (the agent-and-other-centred forms of it) is directly connected with the agent’s chief moral duty to achieve her own virtue (moral perfection), which operates as a micro-ethical concept. These two kinds of moral partialism, self-favoritism and close ties such as family, are justified by appeal to the project's view, instead of the individuals-and-relationships view typically invoked to justify moral partiality in the literature.


Book Synopsis Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy by : M. Molefe

Download or read book Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy written by M. Molefe and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-11-10 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy fills the lacuna in African philosophy literature on the inherent tension between requirements of partiality (favoritism) and impartiality (equality). Motsamai Molefe deploys two strategies to philosophically resolve the tension between partiality and impartiality. The first strategy involves applying the moral theories of Kwasi Wiredu, Thaddeus Metz, and Kwame Gyekye to the problem. Finding their views useful in some ways and seriously limited in others, Molefe turns to the second strategy in which he invokes the salient normative concept of personhood in African cultures. Molefe argues that the concept of personhood adjoins theories of human dignity and moral perfection (virtue). The major insight that emerges is a robust ethical theory qua personhood that accommodates both partiality and impartiality. He grounds requirements of impartiality on human dignity, which operates largely as a macro-ethical concept that normatively informs the character of our social institutions (politics). Politics is characterized by fairness, equality, and impartiality. Partiality (the agent-and-other-centred forms of it) is directly connected with the agent’s chief moral duty to achieve her own virtue (moral perfection), which operates as a micro-ethical concept. These two kinds of moral partialism, self-favoritism and close ties such as family, are justified by appeal to the project's view, instead of the individuals-and-relationships view typically invoked to justify moral partiality in the literature.

An African Ethics of Personhood and Bioethics

An African Ethics of Personhood and Bioethics

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-05-30

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 3030465195

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This book articulates an African conception of dignity in light of the salient axiological category of personhood in African cultures. The idea of personhood embodies a moral system for evaluating human lives exuding with virtue or ones that are morally excellent. This book argues that this idea of personhood embodies an under-explored conception of dignity, which accounts for it in terms of our capacity for the virtue of sympathy. It then proceeds to apply this personhood-based conception of dignity to bioethical questions, specifically, those of abortion and euthanasia. Regarding abortion, it concludes that it is impermissible since foetuses possess partial moral status. Regarding euthanasia, it argues that it is permissible for reasons revolving around avoiding the reversing of personhood. It also, though, minimally, touches on the questions regarding the mentally disabled and animals, to which it assigns lower moral status.


Book Synopsis An African Ethics of Personhood and Bioethics by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book An African Ethics of Personhood and Bioethics written by Motsamai Molefe and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book articulates an African conception of dignity in light of the salient axiological category of personhood in African cultures. The idea of personhood embodies a moral system for evaluating human lives exuding with virtue or ones that are morally excellent. This book argues that this idea of personhood embodies an under-explored conception of dignity, which accounts for it in terms of our capacity for the virtue of sympathy. It then proceeds to apply this personhood-based conception of dignity to bioethical questions, specifically, those of abortion and euthanasia. Regarding abortion, it concludes that it is impermissible since foetuses possess partial moral status. Regarding euthanasia, it argues that it is permissible for reasons revolving around avoiding the reversing of personhood. It also, though, minimally, touches on the questions regarding the mentally disabled and animals, to which it assigns lower moral status.

Human Dignity in an African Context

Human Dignity in an African Context

Author: Motsamai Molefe

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-11-07

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 3031373413

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This book is a contribution to African philosophy, by philosophers focusing specifically on the concept of human dignity in ethical theory. The concept of ‘human dignity’ denotes the intrinsic and superlative worth associated with human beings in virtue of which we owe them utmost moral regard. Although dignity is a foundational concept for African philosophy, there remains scant literature in African philosophy dedicated to critical and systematic reflection on the concept of human dignity. This volume responds to this lacuna by bringing together chapters that offer philosophical exposition, defense (or even rejection) and application of the concept of human dignity in light of intellectual resources in African cultures, such as ubuntu, personhood, and serithi.


Book Synopsis Human Dignity in an African Context by : Motsamai Molefe

Download or read book Human Dignity in an African Context written by Motsamai Molefe and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-11-07 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a contribution to African philosophy, by philosophers focusing specifically on the concept of human dignity in ethical theory. The concept of ‘human dignity’ denotes the intrinsic and superlative worth associated with human beings in virtue of which we owe them utmost moral regard. Although dignity is a foundational concept for African philosophy, there remains scant literature in African philosophy dedicated to critical and systematic reflection on the concept of human dignity. This volume responds to this lacuna by bringing together chapters that offer philosophical exposition, defense (or even rejection) and application of the concept of human dignity in light of intellectual resources in African cultures, such as ubuntu, personhood, and serithi.

Conceptions of personhood. Can the idea of individual responsibility remain morally relevant?

Conceptions of personhood. Can the idea of individual responsibility remain morally relevant?

Author: David Schneider

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2017-12-28

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13: 3668600562

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Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - Political Theory and the History of Ideas Journal, grade: High Merit, London School of Economics (Department of Government), course: Modern African Political Philosophy, language: English, abstract: A central element of African thought is the conception of communal personhood. In this essay, we will examine three such communal conceptions of personhood in light of their interrelation with individual responsibility. First, we will have a closer look on Menkiti’s communal conception of personhood and will argue that his account alone is not able to justify individual moral responsibility, but that it is compatible with Gyekye’s communal conception of personhood that underlines certain mental features that hold communal agents individually responsible for their actions. After having discussed and responded to the problem regarding the extent to which a person’s reasoning and her moral sense is shaped by the communal culture she was socialized in, we will have a look on the third communal conception of personhood that arises in a Yoruba allegory and will discuss its implications for individual responsibility. At first, we extract the preferred Yoruba communal conception of personhood out of the allegory. Then, we apply our finding of ‘self-determined but communal’ action on three possible options of receiving one’s destiny in heaven and clarify for each the realm of individual responsibility.


Book Synopsis Conceptions of personhood. Can the idea of individual responsibility remain morally relevant? by : David Schneider

Download or read book Conceptions of personhood. Can the idea of individual responsibility remain morally relevant? written by David Schneider and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2017-12-28 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - Political Theory and the History of Ideas Journal, grade: High Merit, London School of Economics (Department of Government), course: Modern African Political Philosophy, language: English, abstract: A central element of African thought is the conception of communal personhood. In this essay, we will examine three such communal conceptions of personhood in light of their interrelation with individual responsibility. First, we will have a closer look on Menkiti’s communal conception of personhood and will argue that his account alone is not able to justify individual moral responsibility, but that it is compatible with Gyekye’s communal conception of personhood that underlines certain mental features that hold communal agents individually responsible for their actions. After having discussed and responded to the problem regarding the extent to which a person’s reasoning and her moral sense is shaped by the communal culture she was socialized in, we will have a look on the third communal conception of personhood that arises in a Yoruba allegory and will discuss its implications for individual responsibility. At first, we extract the preferred Yoruba communal conception of personhood out of the allegory. Then, we apply our finding of ‘self-determined but communal’ action on three possible options of receiving one’s destiny in heaven and clarify for each the realm of individual responsibility.

Personhood in African Philosophy

Personhood in African Philosophy

Author: Alloy Ihuah

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 29

ISBN-13: 3346493873

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Wissenschaftlicher Aufsatz aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich Philosophie - Sonstiges, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This study is concerned with the question of personhood in African Philosophy. Studies in Intercultural Philosophies have shown that communal intimate belongingness is mostly limited to a micro community more than the totality of a larger African community. Within the context of this communal living, some African scholars have argued that an individual owns no personality, and only becomes a person through social and ritual incorporation. These scholars have argued from this premise that personhood is a quality acquired as one gets older. This mode of thinking not only ignores the essentials of personhood, namely, self-determination and the rights of the individual, it exposes the overbearing mode of the community and scuttles the inherent freedom and primacy of the individual thought and his right to question communal ideas. We may agree that a youth has a different point of view from that of an older individual, though we affirm on the contrary that both are defined by the quality of personhood. African wisdom literature upholds that life in its existential meaning is human fellowship and solidarity among individuals though, the rights of individual persons and freedom of self-expression within the communities are not in doubt. We argue the conclusion that while communal ethos matures the individual in the community, such conclusion does not have ontological and epistemological precedence over individual persons. In his lone level, the individual experiences varying modes of competing epistemologies that activates his moral arsenals to evaluate, protest, distance and effect reform on some features of the community to ingratiate his widely varying needs and interests.


Book Synopsis Personhood in African Philosophy by : Alloy Ihuah

Download or read book Personhood in African Philosophy written by Alloy Ihuah and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wissenschaftlicher Aufsatz aus dem Jahr 2020 im Fachbereich Philosophie - Sonstiges, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: This study is concerned with the question of personhood in African Philosophy. Studies in Intercultural Philosophies have shown that communal intimate belongingness is mostly limited to a micro community more than the totality of a larger African community. Within the context of this communal living, some African scholars have argued that an individual owns no personality, and only becomes a person through social and ritual incorporation. These scholars have argued from this premise that personhood is a quality acquired as one gets older. This mode of thinking not only ignores the essentials of personhood, namely, self-determination and the rights of the individual, it exposes the overbearing mode of the community and scuttles the inherent freedom and primacy of the individual thought and his right to question communal ideas. We may agree that a youth has a different point of view from that of an older individual, though we affirm on the contrary that both are defined by the quality of personhood. African wisdom literature upholds that life in its existential meaning is human fellowship and solidarity among individuals though, the rights of individual persons and freedom of self-expression within the communities are not in doubt. We argue the conclusion that while communal ethos matures the individual in the community, such conclusion does not have ontological and epistemological precedence over individual persons. In his lone level, the individual experiences varying modes of competing epistemologies that activates his moral arsenals to evaluate, protest, distance and effect reform on some features of the community to ingratiate his widely varying needs and interests.