The expression acquired its currency from a project conducted by the late kenyan philosopher henry odera oruka 19441995, whose primary aim was to establish, with evidence, that critical reflection upon themes of fundamental importance has always been the concern of a select few in african societies. African philosophy and thought systems read african books. At uppsala university he registered for a bsc programme in the faculty of mathematicsnatural science and studied meteorology, geography, and geodesy but on his own initiative and interest, he added philosophy. Tilburg university philosophic sagacity and intercultural.
Oruka identifies kwasi wiredu, paulin hountondji, oruka odera himself and bodunrin p. Odera orukas four trends in african philosophy and their. The first four are the generally well known and well explained schools of african philosophy. Henry odera oruka was born in nyanza province of western kenya in 1944 and died in 1995. Unfortunately, less known is odera orukas work on ethics. In this essay i will be critically discussing henry odera orukas 4 trends of african philosophy, as laid out in his essay, using both my notes on the essay and the study guide as a reference, followed by my thoughts on each trend again supplemented by references from my own notes. This paper examines the contribution of henry odera oruka, a kenyan philosopher, to the discourse on the problem of methodology in african philosophy. The four trends of african philosophy introduced by oruka are. A critique 193 page 193 of 20 but also, as a matter of methodical duty, to act as the provocateur of the sage oruka 1991. In this work, i attempt to contribute to the future of african and intercultural philosophy. Odera orukas four trends in african philosophy and their implications for education in africa. Presbey department of philosophy, university of detroit mercy, detroit, mi 48219, usa h. This article is within the scope of wikiproject philosophy, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of content related to philosophy on wikipedia. A brief introduction to the discourse of african philosophy.
Oswell hapanyengwichemhuru, odera orukas four trends in. Odera oruka, professor of philosophy at university of nairobi, was an active member of the world futures studies federation. Henry odera oruka project gutenberg selfpublishing. If you would like to support the project, please visit the project page, where you can get more details on how you can help, and where you can join the general discussion about philosophy content on wikipedia. It was a project started in the 1970s in an attempt to preserve the knowledge of the indigenous thinkers in. This is an excellent and exceptional text that carries oruka s essays and interviews as well as essays on him and his work.
Oruka identified four trendsclassifications of what african philosophy is or could be namely. On the basis of persisting enlightenment and colonialist prejudices, a majority of western philosophers have ignored philosophical inquiry in nonwestern cultures. Henry odera oruka and the question of methodology in african philosophy. The sage philosophy project began in the mid1970s at the department of philosophy of the university of nairobi kenya. A critique find, read and cite all the research you need. Henry odera oruka was a good friend and colleague of mine from the time that i taught philosophy alongside him at the university of nairobi in the spring and summer of 1975. The classification by this nairobian philosopher odera oruka of. In what looks like a shift in position, bodunrin alludes to a new conviction that the different understandings of the. In philosophy in the present situation of africa, edited by alwin diemer. Our paper builds on earlier research to show how bimal krishna matilal and henry odera oruka challenge dominant narratives of the westcentered progress of philosophical and other forms of critical rationality. The classification by this nairobian philosopher odera oruka of different approaches in african. African sage philosophy stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Problems and challenges of conversation method 71 several factors, like personal sensitivity and commitment to certain problems of experience. Kwasi wiredu, paulin hountondji, abiola irele, henry odera oruka, tsenay serequeberhan, ngugi wa thiongo, lucius outlaw, kwame anthony appiah, ali mazrui and, wole soyinka.
Odera oruka and the question of methodology in african philosophy. Odera orukas four trends in african philosophy and. The oxford encyclopedia of african thought authors. Chapter 3 introduces the now classical fourfold division of african philosophy by henry odera oruka. Orukas classifications have received much criticism. Henry odera oruka about 20 years before it started to be a central topic in the euroamerican debates of the late 1990s, the kenyan philosopher henry odera oruka 19441995 used the concept of global justice in two key articles, john rawls ideology. A breakdown of the major schools of thought in the debate on african philosophy. The present paper argues that there is need for further philosophical. Henry odera oruka 1 june 1944, nyanza province 9 december 1995, nairobi was a kenyan philosopher who is best known for sage philosophy. H odera orukas four trends in african philosophy when studying orukas classification, keep in mind that he comes from the englishspeaking side and does not represent francophone african philosophy in his classification. Odera oruka, four trends in current african philosophy.
History of african philosophy internet encyclopedia of. Pdf odera orukas account of the foundation of human rights. The semantics of sagacity and its implications for 119 odera orukas sage philosophy okoth okombo 8. Dec 02, 20 odera oruka s four trends in african philosophy and their implications for education in africa. Philosophic sagacity and intercultural philosophy mosima, pius document version. The expression acquired its currency from a project conducted by the late kenyan philosopher henry odera oruka 19441995, whose primary aim was to establish, with evidence, that critical reflection upon themes of fundamental importance has always been. It was a project started in the 1970s in an attempt to preserve the knowledge of the indigenous thinkers in traditional african communities. Odera oruka is best known for his views on sage philosophy, he spent a considerable portion of his philosophical career agonizing over the question of human rights. View notes oruka four trends in current african philosophy. This is undertaken by a comparative appraisal of the late lamented kenyan philosopher henry odera oruka s 19441995 philosophic sagacity, and intercultural philosophy as conceived by dutch intercultural philosopher wim van binsbergen.
Henry odera oruka 1 june 1944, nyanza province 9 december 1995, nairobi was a kenyan philosopher who is best known for sage philosophy, a project started in the 1970s in an attempt to preserve the knowledge of the indigenous thinkers in traditional african communities. Furthermore, it is the subjectmatter that determines its own methods anyanwu 1989, 5. The project involved evaluation of the oral traditions of various communities for knowledge that reflected the values of philosophy that the universalists articulated. A short history of african philosophy second edition.
This is undertaken by a comparative appraisal of the late lamented kenyan philosopher henry odera orukas 19441995 philosophic sagacity, and intercultural philosophy as conceived by dutch intercultural philosopher wim van binsbergen. African sage philosophy internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Pdf from llb pls1502 at university of south africa. It was a project started in the 1970s to preserve the knowledge of the indigenous thinkers in traditional african communities. At the university, henry odera oruka 19441995 popularized the term sage philosophy project, and closely related terms such as philosophic sagacity, both by initiating a project of interviewing african sages, and by naming this project in. The late kenyan philosopher, henry odera oruka, identified six schools of thought on what african philosophy is or could be, namely, ethnophilosophy, philosophic sagacity, nationalisticideological philosophy, professional philosophy, hermeneutic philosophy, and artistic or literary philosophy. Unfortunately, the mother died when he was eight years old. Henry odera oruka was born on 1 june 1944 in nyanza province of kenya. It is accessible and handy to a wider range of readers, ranging from educators and students of african philosophy, anthropology, african studies, cultural studies, and all those concerned with the further development of african philosophy and thought systems on the african continent. Henry odera oruka, ecophilosophy and climate change. Pdf odera orukas four trends in african philosophy and. The sage philosophy project of the late henry odera orukadirectly, which addresses the objections raised against ethnophilosophy, will be a transition to the study of the thought of prominent contemporary african philosophers, such as kwasi wiredu, valentinyves mudimbe, paulin j.
For oruka, this shift is described as one from culture philosophy to sage philosophy, the latter deriving its name from the role that oruka sees for sages, these being thinkers who, though embedded within traditional cultures, are able to reflect critically upon those cultures. After his advanced level studies in kenya, he went to uppsala university in sweden. Hapanyengwichemhuru abstract the late kenyan philosopher, henry odera oruka, identified six schools of thought on what african philosophy is or could be, namely, ethnophilosophy, philosophic sagacity, nationalisticideological philosophy, professional philosophy, hermeneutic philosophy, and artistic or literary philosophy. Pdf henry odera oruka and the question of methodology in. Project muse african philosophy and thought systems. This is especially regrettable, as his philosophical work had two main objectives. Kenyan philosopher henry odera oruka is credited for formulating the four trends of african philosophy and for introducing the notion of philosophic sagacity. What really matters to anyanwu is the formulation of the problem.
Pdf on jan 1, 2012, fayemi ademola kazeem and others published henry odera oruka and the question of methodology in african philosophy. Odera oruka on culture philosophy and its role 99 in the s. Henry odera orukas sage philosophy james garrison 6. Odera orukas sage philosophy project, his definition of philosophy, the method of interviewing sages, and the differentiation between folk and philosophic sages, have been discussed and criticised at length. His father was peter oruka ranginya and his mother dolphine nyangor ngonga. The african philosophy reader peace palace library. Understanding of african philosophy through philosophy for.
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