Related question:
·
Discuss in details the subject matter of African epistemology.
·
Is there any affinity between African epistemology
and African metaphysics?
(YOUR INTRODUCTION)
AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY: A METAPHYSICAL PHILOSOPHY
As one would expect, African
epistemology is a branch of African philosophy, which is an infrastructure of
discipline under the philosophy of other disciplines. In order to really
comprehend the content of African epistemology, one must initially have to understand
what African philosophy is; and without much ado, it is stated that African
philosophy is highly metaphysical.
AFRICAN EPISTEMOLOGY AND AFRICAN METAPHYSICS: THE
AFFINITY
In the process of trying to understand
what African philosophy is, African epistemology is automatically understood,
as it is embedded in African metaphysics. In support of this, ‘Godwin Azenabor’
has this to say; ‘although the nature of African philosophy is metaphysical,
one cannot completely separate metaphysics from epistemology; the question of
reality from the question of knowledge. Hence, authentic African philosophy
(which is metaphysical) touches on epistemological matters.
In connection to the above, ‘Kenneth
Gallagher’ in his view stated that ‘it might be said that the philosophy of
knowledge is co-extensive with philosophy; the search to explore and express
the richness of reality, is always concomitantly an effort to decide what ‘I
know’ in any given area of reality. I cannot therefore claim to have a
metaphysics which is not at the same time, an epistemology of metaphysics’.
Whatever the area of enquiry, when fully constituted and ideally achieved, will
certainly contain a built-in epistemology. Hence, epistemology is compelling;
it is the central thing in all acts of philosophizing.
SUBJECT MATTER OF AFRICAN EPISTEMOLOGY
Like African metaphysics, African
epistemology is deeply rooted in African tradition. Originally, the tradition
of a people is the effect of their experience; and since philosophy is a
reflection on human experience, it follows that African tradition, which
entails African religions, root culture, oral literature, traditional arts,
fables, proverbs, idioms, rituals, music, dance, folklores and myths, are the
content of African epistemology.
As earlier said, African epistemology is
metaphysically and spiritually inclined. The tradition in African philosophy
relates more with the spiritual and supernatural elements in nature which give
emotional and aesthetic satisfaction to the average African person. Thus, the
ideal life as exemplified by African epistemology is to co-exist as one with
nature. In doing this, great emphasis is placed on spirituality and an
understanding of the world via a spiritual source because African epistemology
regards the experiential world and the non-experiential world as causally
related.
African epistemology also enforces
beliefs in a basic assumption about reality. It expresses the fact that reality
is beyond the empirical world of space and time; that everything which exists
is charged with life forces or spirits i.e. all beings possess a spiritual
backing. It also presents the hierarchical order of life forces, which is, God,
divinities, ancestors, spirits, man, animals, plants and minerals. The superior
forces have a direct influence on the lower ones, which can only influence the
higher forces indirectly via spiritual works or otherwise.
CHALLENGES INHERENT IN AFRICAN EPISTEMOLOGY
Regarding the fact that African
epistemology has a metaphysical-religious background that is peculiar of the
African, some specific challenges automatically evolve and some of these are
analyzed below;
Most of the beliefs underlying the
traditional experience of the Africans are not rational. The very fact that the
experiential knowledge of the African is based on a basic assumption about
reality, tends to place him in a very tight position of having to relate all
that happens to him to the vital forces and spiritual hierarchies peculiar of
African existence. The implication of this is that, there would be a very high
tendency of the African person to uphold the determinist claim that the entire
affairs of his life is subjectively dependent on him and objectively dependent
on a life force superior in being to him. Within a more empirically based
environment, we can see that most of the problems and challenges of life are
practical, and can thus be solved by empirical procedures. In other words, the
metaphysical-religious mentality of the African would be a barrier in his way
to making him differentiate between those issues that are purely an empirical
and pragmatic one, as well as those that really need a spiritual solution.
(YOUR CRITICISMS AND
CONCLUSION)
ignore the typos..
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