A Companion to African Philosophy - (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) by Kwasi Wiredu (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This volume of newly commissioned essays provides comprehensive coverage of African philosophy, ranging across disciplines and throughout the ages.

• Offers a distinctive historical treatment of African philosophy.
• Covers all the main branches of philosophy as addressed in the African tradition.
• Includes accounts of pre-colonial African philosophy and contemporary political thought.

From the Back Cover

This volume, comprised of 42 newly commissioned and 5 adapted essays, provides comprehensive coverage of African philosophy, ranging across disciplines and throughout the ages.

The essays encompass all the main branches of philosophy - logic, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, religion, and politics, among others - as these have occupied the African mind in both communal and individual conceptions. A special feature of the volume is its historical dimension, including a substantial treatment of ancient African philosophy as encountered in ancient Egypt, an extended study of medieval North African thinkers, an enlightening discussion of pre-colonial African philosophy, and a history of African political thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

A Companion to African Philosophy is unique in its depth and breadth of coverage. It is an invaluable resource for anyone wishing to learn about African philosophy and its rich history.

Review Quotes

"This collection is destined to become the classic guide to the distinctive issues of concern to African philosophers today and in the past. The essays also reveal critical challenges African philosophies raise for 'exceptionalist' and 'triumphalist' tendencies in Western philosophy. This is a lively and intriguing text for undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars in many disciplines." Sandra Harding, University of California, Los Angeles

"Professor Wiredu has brought together the leading scholars of African philosophy, and provided us with up-to-date assessments of such vital topics as the history of African philosophy, African philosophy and postcolonial studies, and the relationship between world view and critical thinking. This is a balanced and judicious collection that exposes the student to all the major issues and schools." Ivan Karp, Emory University

"The extensive bibliography confirms the existence of African philosophy and supports the argument for its rightful place alongside other philosophies. . . The essays in this book are informative and compelling. The book is a product of commendable effort and provides its readers with much enlightenment." African Studies Review

"...this Companion goes beyond evaluating African philosophy spoken, written, sung, danced, sculpted, or painted prior to itself; it becomes itself the most complete and thoughtful anthology of African thought, the area's most valuable work published as yet." Heythrop Journal

About the Author

Kwasi Wiredu is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Florida. His books include Philosophy and An African Culture (1981).