A CONTEMPORARY REACTION TO THE WESTERN CRITIQUE ON ETHNOPHILOSOPHY AND HOUNTONDJI’S POSITION ON AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY
The clash in positions of the universalist and the particularist schools of African philosophy are to a great extent determined by the degree to which the foundation of a philosopher is been globalized. This is seen in the fact that most philosophers who did their philosophical studies outside the circle of the circumference of Africa advocate for a universalist school of Philosophy. Thus, as the world globalizes and is globalized, this paper considers the relevance of a global philosophy behind the meaning and nature of African philosophy. The purpose of this, is to make a critical analysis on the contemporary’s reaction, of the western critique of ethnophilosophy and the general position of doing African philosophy, which will then fostered Hountondji’s vibrant discussion on the methods, scope, and standing of philosophy in the African context. The chapterresumes the main elements of this debate, which including the topic of who philosophizes (the individual or a collective), of the question of morality versus textuality of philosophical praxis, the nature of science, and the role of popular philosophical knowledge in academia. In conclusion, this paper will be considering the ambivalent character of ethnophilosophy in the face of its emergence, in contemporary scholarship in Africa, which points up on the social character of African philosophy and interest in doing philosophy.
Keywords: African philosophy, Ethnophilosophy, Collective reasoning, Orality, Contemporary scholarship, Popular knowledge