The contribution of philosophy to Africa’s development
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Date
2016-01
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
Whether Africa is compared with other continents or it is considered on its own, much of Africa is in a precarious
state. Africa is known to be lagging behind in development not only in the economy, but also in philosophy, science,
politics, technology, etc. This precarious state has made many scholars cynical about the contributions philosophy
has made towards the development of the continent. In this study, however, it is argued that such a cynical attitude
is due to a myopic conception of “development,” which excludes growth in education, the economy, politics,
science, the mental aspect of culture, and/or the unawareness of the fact that Africans (including the colonial and
neo-colonial interferences) led the continent to a precarious state, not because of the inability on the part of the
philosophers to proffer solutions, but owing to the unwillingness and failure on the part of African leaders in their
un-philosophical or unrefined political, educational, economic, and scientific policies to adopt the solutions
proffered.
Description
Peer reviewed article published under Inkanyiso journal, Volume 8 Number 1, Jan 2016, p. 9 – 20
Keywords
philosophy, development, Africa, historical growth
Citation
Oyedola, D.A., 2016. The contribution of philosophy to Africa’s development. Inkanyiso: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(1), pp.9-20.