Abstract
Philosophy in general and African Philosophy in particular is rocked by the crisis of relevance and is being called upon to justify the huge investment in it by governments. This paper attempts to examine the contributions that philosophy and philosophers can make to the development of African countries. The paper is a counter-discourse to the discourse of scholars like P. O. Bodunrin who thinks that philosophy cannot help in dealing with our present social, moral, religious and economic problems. The paper argues that the professionalization of philosophy which has led to it being treated as a theoretical inquiry does not preclude the capacity of philosophers to reason about the practical problem in the society with a view to providing solutions. It articulates some of the ways by which African philosophers can contribute to social development in Africa such as the development of an ideology, the critique of African values and colonial legacies and the readiness to participate in practical matters so as to translate ideas and theories to social reality. The paper suggests that if philosophers are to be able to be involved in practical matters, there is a need for multi-disciplinary training for them. It concludes by suggesting a philosophy of praxis for Africa. Keyword: Development, Philosophy, Praxis, Professionalization, Relevance DOI : 10.7176/DCS/9-3-09 Publication date :March 31 st 2019
Highlights
African philosophy as an enterprise has been bedeviled by the crisis of relevance and Africa herself by the crisis of development. The former can be situated within the purview of professional African philosophers who, in calling for disciplinary purity and in their acceptance of the analytic mode of philosophizing, want philosophy in Africa to remain theoretical
It seems like the criteria for doing African philosophy is being African and philosophical. This is without consideration for the myriads of problems – political instability, debt crisis, corruption, child abuse, brain drain, moral decadence and so on – that rock the boat of African societies today. It would be a success on the part of the African philosopher if all he does is to imbibe ideas from, and/or contribute to a philosophical tradition that is not their own
The call for African philosopher to be involved in practical matters is not a call for undue pragmatism or to be involved in pre-reflective action as some policy makers and implementers
Summary
African philosophy as an enterprise has been bedeviled by the crisis of relevance and Africa herself by the crisis of development. The former can be situated within the purview of professional African philosophers who, in calling for disciplinary purity and in their acceptance of the analytic mode of philosophizing, want philosophy in Africa to remain theoretical. The question to be addressed in this paper is: should African philosophers remain purely theoretical and insensitive in this twenty-first century, making no practical contribution to the rescue of www.iiste.org
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