Listening to Ourselves : A Multilingual Anthology of African Philosophy

A groundbreaking contribution to the discipline of philosophy, this volume presents a collection of philosophical essays written in indigenous African languages by professional African philosophers with English translations on the facing pages—demonstrating the linguistic and conceptual resources of African languages for a distinctly African philosophy. Hailing from five different countries and writing in six different languages, the seven authors featured include some of the most prominent African philosophers of our time. They address a range of topics, including the nature of truth, different ways of conceiving time, the linguistic status of proverbs, how naming practices work, gender equality and inequality in traditional society, the relationship between language and thought, and the extent to which morality is universal or culturally variable. Contents Foreword: A Historic First Acknowledgments Introduction Notes Listening to Ourselves Dëgg ak ludul dëgg: Waxtaan diggante Soxna ak càmmiñam Ngóór Truth and Untruth: A Conversation Between Soxna and Her Friend Ngóór The Ethiopian Conception of Time and Modernity Being and Time The Ethiopian Situation Cyclicality of Time Time and Fate From Cyclical Time to Teleological Time Ethiopia and Modernity Modernity and Renewal Notes The Ethiopian Conception of Time and Modernity Being and Time The Ethiopian Situation Cyclicality of Time Time and Fate From Cyclical Time to Teleological Time Ethiopia and Modernity Modernity and Renewal Notes Ngero ok Rias: Kaka Puonj mar Ngero Chalo, Kendo Kaka Ngero Opogore gi Pimo Wach Wach M’Otelo Chuny Wach Tienge mag Ngero Ngeche ma yot Ngeche ma tek Notes A Proverb Never Lies: On the Nature of Proverbs and How They Differ from Propositions Introduction The Text Types of Proverbs Simple Proverbs Complex Proverbs Notes Ang’o Man e Nying’? Okange Ang’wen Mag Nyinge e Oganda Luo Wach Mokwongo Awendo Ok Onego E Yiege Okang’ Mokwongo: Nyinge Michako Nyathi ka Pod Yom Okang mar Ariyo: Nyinge Lek gi Juogi Okang’ Mar Adek: Nyinge mag Ranyis Anyuola Okang’ Mar Ang’wen: Nyinge Pakruok Wach Mogik Notes What’s in a Name? Four Levels of Naming among the Luo People Introduction A Guinea Fowl Should not Abandon Its Feathers The First Level: Names Given to Infants The Second Level: Names from Dreams and Ancestral Names The Third Level: Names That Show Kinship The Fourth Level: Praise Names Conclusion Notes Kũgeria Mĩario: Atumia, Ciana, Mbũri, Mĩgũnda Gĩtongoria Mĩikarĩre Ĩcunjĩ Cia Hau Kabere Kũimbũria Icunjĩ na Makinya ma Gũkũra Hitho ya Ciugo—Gũcĩrumbũyia Riika na Maũndũ Marĩkonie Kũrigicania Miario—Aka na Maũndũ Mao Mĩeke na Itheri—Mĩhaka na Mĩaramano Gũtũma na Gũchokanĩrĩria Kũrĩkĩrĩria—Ciugo Cia Kũrigĩrĩria na ũtaarani Concluding Caveat Notes Conversations: Women, Children, Goats, Land Introduction Culture and Tradition Social Divisions of the Past Investigating the Stages of Growth and Emerging Divisions and Groups Words and Hidden Meanings —Interrogation and Exposure Age-Sets and Related Matters Complicating the Discussion—Women and Their Experiences Gaps and Spaces —Limits and Oportunities Weaving Loose Ends Notes Okwu na Uche I. Mmalite II. Filosofi n’asusu Igbo? III. Okwu na Uche III.a. Uche bu Aku III.b. “Central Igbo”: Ngozi na nsogbu III.c. Amamihe di n’iche n’iche IV. Usoro Mkpakori Okwu V. Okwu na Uwa VI. Mmechi Notes Word and Mind I. Introduction II. Philosophy in Igbo Language? III. Word and Thought III.a. Thought is Wealth III.b. “Central Igbo”: Its Advantages and Problems III.c. There Are Different Types of Knowledge IV. Logic of Dialogue V. Word and World VI. Conclusion Notes Apendix 1 Apendix 2 Papa ne Bɔne Good and Evil Note Contributors Editor Authors Translators Index This book presents African philosophy in both indigenous African languages and in English translation