The Philosophical Treatise of William H. Ferris: Selected Readings from The African Abroad or, His Evolution in Western Civilization

by Tommy J. Curry

Overview

With a full introduction and textual commentary, this volume introduces William H. Ferris’s The African Abroad, a treatise on racial idealism, Black ethnology, and the evolution of Blacks from Negro to Negrosaxon, presenting the first evidence of a Black American idealist and evolutionary thinker in philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786600325
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/25/2016
Series:	Creolizing the Canon
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tommy J. Curry is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Professor of Africana Studies at Texas A&M University. He is a Ray A. Rothrock Fellow and has commented on social matters in venues ranging from Forbes to Sirius XM. He is the author of 50 articles on issues of racism, Black intellectual history, and Black political theory.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements / Author’s Preface: “Deliberate Misreadings: Derelictical Avoidance, William H. Ferris and the Need to Expand the Geography of Black Nationalism to Comprehend The African Abroad” / Author’s Introduction: “The Racial Idealism of William H. Ferris: An Idealist Philosophy of History Rooted in the Ethnological Era” / Section I: Introduction to a Philosophy of History / 1. A Narragansett Reverie upon the Ethernal and Ephemeral in History and Human Life and History / 2. God Revealed in the Course of Human History, in the Movement of the Human Spirit in its Historical Development—the Meaning of History / 3. Teleology in Reality; or, in what Sense is there a Teleological Movement in the World? Is Man One of the Final Purposes of the Universe? / 4. The Success of Philosophy / 5. The Epical Meaning and Historical Significance of the Black Man’s Spiritual Strivings and Higher Aspirations / Section II: An Ethnological Account of Negro Thought and Life / 6. Typical Negro Traits / 7. A Historical and Psychological Account of the Genesis and Development of the Negro’s Religion / 8. Is the Negro and Imitative or Reflective Being? To what Extent is the Present Anglo-Saxon Civilization Original and Underived / 9. Reason why the Term “NegroSaxon,” or Colored, Better Characterizes the Colored People of Mixed Descent in America than the term “Negro” / Section III: Racial Idealism and the Color Question / 10. The Key Solution of the Race Question / 11. The Educated Leader the Hope of the Race and the Hero in the Struggle for Negro Liberty / Index

Editorial Reviews

The publication of selections from William H. Ferris’s The African Abroad is a long overdue event. Ferris’s ideas that racial redemption will come from African American contributions to western civilization and that black folk need an educated leadership of the highest talents are nothing new. Given his unique philosophical perspective and conclusions that rub against established orthodoxies, however, Ferris’s work casts new light on the insights and dilemmas of black intellectuals of the early 20th century, and is worth serious consideration.

Ernest Allen Jr.