Logic and African Philosophy: Seminal Essays on African Systems of Thought [PDF]

""Logic and African Philosophy: Seminal Essays on African Systems of Thought" aims to put African intellectual history in perspective, with focus on the subjects of racism, logic, language, and psychology. The volume seeks to fill in the gaps left by the exclusion of African thinkers that are frequent in the curricula of African schools concerning history, sociology, philosophy, and cultural studies. The book is divided into four parts that are preceded by an introduction to link up the essays and emphasise their sociological implications. Part one is comprised of essays that opened the controversy of whether logic can be found in traditional African cultures as well as other matters like the nature of the mind and behaviour of African peoples. The essays in part two are centred on the following question: are the laws of thought present in African languages and cultures? Part three brings together essays that sparkle the debate on whether there can be such a thing as African logic, which stems from the discussions in part two. Part four is concerned on the theme of system-building in logic; contributions are written by members of the budding African philosophy movement called the "Conversational School of Philosophy" based at the University of Calabar, and the main objective of their papers is to formulate systems of African logic."--EBSCO Table of Contents 4 List of Figures 8 Dedication 10 Acknowledgements 12 Preface 14 General Introduction 18 Part 1: Logic and Traditional Thought, the Origin of a Controversy 22 Introduction 22 1 Logic in Africa • Meinrad Hebga 26 2 On Negrohood: Psychology of the African Negro • Léopold Sédar Senghor 36 3 African Traditional Thought and Western Science • Robin Horton 48 4 How Not to Compare African Traditional Thought with Western Thought • J.E.Wiredu 92 Part 2: Logic in African Languages and Cultures 102 Introduction 102 5 Logic and Rationality • Godwin Sogolo 106 6 Uncovering Logic in Igbo Language and Thought • Chukwuemeka B. Nze 130 7 The Logic in Yoruba Proverbs • Ademola Kazeem Fayemi 144 8 Universal or Particular Logic and the Question of Logic in Setswana Proverbs • Keanu K. Malabane, Edwin Etieyibo 162 9 A Justification for an Excavation of a Logic in African Worldview • Chris O. Ijiomah 194 Part 3: African Logic, the Debate 206 Introduction 206 10 The Logic Question in African Philosophy • Campbell S. Momoh 210 11 The Possibility of African Logic • Udo Etuk 228 12 Can There Be an African Logic? Revisiting the Squall for a Cultural Logic • Uduma Oji Uduma 244 13 Why Can’t There Be (An) African Logic? Clarifying the Squall for a Cultural Logic • Jonathan O. Chimakonam 266 Part 4: The System Builders, Contributions from the Calabar School 280 Introduction 280 14 Harmonious Monism: A System of a Logic in African Thought • Chris O. Ijiomah 284 15 Complementary Logic • Innocent I. Asouzu 294 16 Ezumezu as a Formal System • Jonathan O. Chimakonam 318 List of Contributors 342 Index 344