Introduction to African Philosophy
PLS1502
Assignment 02/S1
Option A
2022
Written by
Camecia Cass
BUY ME TO VIEW THE REST OF THE ANSWER
1
, OPTION A:
Towards the end of his seminal essay: The Struggle for Reason in Africa, Ramose
(2002) makes the assertion that “To deny the existence of African philosophy is also
to reject the very idea of philosophy.”
Discuss this claim in reference to the arguments that he provides in regard to the
“history of rationality” in Africa.
Guidelines:
In your discussion also examine the strengths and weaknesses of his claim and
whether you agree with their arguments
Introduction
Ramose wrote the article The Struggle for Reason in Africa as an introduction to a
section of the larger publication Discourses on Africa. 1 The same article was also
used as the introduction to his critically praised monograph, which was first
published in 1999 and titled African philosophy through ubuntu. The author
establishes the persistence of the subject in the introduction; the problem of
Africans being silenced regarding their own reality and experience, and it lays out a
plan to address it, to find out why this is so and what this means for philosophy in
general. Racism and the Marginality of African Philosophy, by Dladla (2017), was
suggested as a resource in putting these discussions into context. 2
Man is a rational animal
Ramose begins by discussing how Aristotle's claim 3 that "man is a rational animal"
was used to justify colonial conquest. European colonialists used the idea that
humans are distinguished from other animals by their exclusive possession of
reason to excuse their inhumane (illegal and immoral) treatment of Africans,
Amerindians, and Australasian people. They had no moral or legal responsibility to
1
Mogobe B. Ramose, ‘The struggle for reason in Africa, from Philosophy from Africa’ (2edn, Oxford
University Press 2002).
2
Ndumiso Dladla, ‘Racism and the Marginality of African Philosophy in South Africa’ (Vol 18, Unisa
Press 2017).
3
F H Peters (tr) ‘The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle’ (first published 350 B.C.E., Deyden House
1906).
2
PLS1502
Assignment 02/S1
Option A
2022
Written by
Camecia Cass
BUY ME TO VIEW THE REST OF THE ANSWER
1
, OPTION A:
Towards the end of his seminal essay: The Struggle for Reason in Africa, Ramose
(2002) makes the assertion that “To deny the existence of African philosophy is also
to reject the very idea of philosophy.”
Discuss this claim in reference to the arguments that he provides in regard to the
“history of rationality” in Africa.
Guidelines:
In your discussion also examine the strengths and weaknesses of his claim and
whether you agree with their arguments
Introduction
Ramose wrote the article The Struggle for Reason in Africa as an introduction to a
section of the larger publication Discourses on Africa. 1 The same article was also
used as the introduction to his critically praised monograph, which was first
published in 1999 and titled African philosophy through ubuntu. The author
establishes the persistence of the subject in the introduction; the problem of
Africans being silenced regarding their own reality and experience, and it lays out a
plan to address it, to find out why this is so and what this means for philosophy in
general. Racism and the Marginality of African Philosophy, by Dladla (2017), was
suggested as a resource in putting these discussions into context. 2
Man is a rational animal
Ramose begins by discussing how Aristotle's claim 3 that "man is a rational animal"
was used to justify colonial conquest. European colonialists used the idea that
humans are distinguished from other animals by their exclusive possession of
reason to excuse their inhumane (illegal and immoral) treatment of Africans,
Amerindians, and Australasian people. They had no moral or legal responsibility to
1
Mogobe B. Ramose, ‘The struggle for reason in Africa, from Philosophy from Africa’ (2edn, Oxford
University Press 2002).
2
Ndumiso Dladla, ‘Racism and the Marginality of African Philosophy in South Africa’ (Vol 18, Unisa
Press 2017).
3
F H Peters (tr) ‘The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle’ (first published 350 B.C.E., Deyden House
1906).
2
