Cultural Universals and Particulars

Kwasi Wiredu is a Ghanaian trained in the British tradition of logic and philosophy of language. Some of his philosophical work is directly in the analytic tradition and has no special focus on African issues. In his own view, these works represent "African philosophy" only in the sense that he is an African involved in philosophy. Another aspect of Wiredu's writings more directly addresses the issue of identifying African philosophy as either a tradition or a tradition in the making. Wiredu's basic thesis is that, as Africa inevitably modernizes, philosophy can play a key role in its development. For Wiredu it is not enough to identify a traditional set of African beliefs and call it philosophy; rather, philosophy is a critical, reflective, rational enterprise. Indigenous belief systems can be the starting point of African philosophy, but they will truly become a philosophical tradition only insofar as they become the grist for critical philosophizing. In this way, there can be a blend of traditional beliefs and modern, Western critical reflection. 020