African Philosophy, Culture, and Traditional Medicine: MIS AF#53

by M. Akin Makinde

Overview

For over two centuries, Western scholars have discussed African philosophy and culture, often in disparaging, condescending terms, and always from an alien European perspective. Many Africans now share this perspective, having been trained in the western, empirical tradition. Makinde argues that, particularly in view of the costs and failings of western style culture, Africans must now mold their own modern culture by blending useful western practices with valuable indigenous African elements. Specifically, Makinde demonstrates the potential for the development of African philosophy and even African traditional medicine. Following the lead of a number of countries with government policies of incorporating indigenous medicine with orthodox Western medicine, Makinde argues that traditional African practices should be taken seriously, both medically and scientifically. Further, he charges African scholars with the responsibility of investigating these and other elements of traditional African culture in order to dispel their mystery and secrecy through modern research and useful publications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780896801523
Publisher:	Ohio University Press
Publication date:	10/15/1988
Series:	Ohio RIS Africa Series , #53
Edition description:	1
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1570L (what's this?)

About the Author

Moses Akin Makinde holds the Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science from the University of Toronto. He was a Fulbright visiting professor in the U.S. during 1983-4 and is currently Acting Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ife, Nigeria.

Table of Contents

	Illustrations	ix
	Foreword	xi
	Preface	xiii
1.	Introduction	1
	Ifa, Knowledge, and Probability	5
2.	On Philosophy and Culture	15
3.	The Question of African Philosophy	23
	On Philosophy in General	23
	A Short History of African Philosophy	32
(i)	First Phase: Unwritten Philosophy and Unknown Philosophers	33
(ii)	Second Phase: Re-orientation in Philosophy and Colonial Ethnophilosophers	35
(iii)	Third Phase: Critical Re-orientation in Philosophy and the Contemporary African Philosophers	39
	Who is an African Philosopher?	54
4.	The Social and Political Philosophy of Obafemi Awolowo	59
	The Regime of Mental Magnitude: The Philosophical Foundation of Awolowo's Socialism	65
	The Universal Mind	76
	Marxist Totalitarianism and Capitalism's "Totalitarian" Democracy	81
5.	African Traditional Medicine: Principles & Practice	87
6.	Concluding Remarks	109
Appendix	African Traditional Practice Among the Yoruba of Nigeria	111
	Notes	119
	Literature Cited	141
	Index	151