View year:

  1.  3
    The Human Being, God, and Moral Evil.Ada Agada - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):9-30.
    The evidence of human wickedness in the world is so transparent that no rational person can dispute its reality. This paper approaches the question of the human person from an African philosophical perspective and explores the relation between the apparently free-acting human being and God conceived as the creator of the world and the ultimate cause of the human being. The paper will proffer answers to the following question: to what extent can the human being be absolved of blame for (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  2. Editorial: African Perspectives on God, the Problem of Evil, and Meaning in Life.Ada Agada & Aribiah David Attoe - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):1-8.
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  3. Cosmic Purpose: An African Perspective.Aribiah David Attoe - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):87-102.
    In much of the literature concerning African theories of meaning, there are certain clues regarding what constitutes meaningfulness from an African traditional perspective. These are theories of meaning in life such as the African God’s purpose theory, which locates meaning in the obedience of divine law and/or the pursuit of one’s destiny; the vital force theory, which locates meaning in the continuous augmentation of one’s vital force through the expression and receipt of goodwill, rituals and the worship of God; and (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  4. Review of [Development and Modernity in Africa: An Intercultural Perspective], by Joseph C A Agbakoba. [REVIEW]J. Chidozie Chukwuokolo - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):209-215.
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  5. Rethinking God’s Omnibenevolence and Omnipotence in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An African Perspective.Joyline Gwara & L. Uchenna Ogbonnaya - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):31-53.
    The reality and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic question God’s omnibenevolence and omnipotence. Two questions that stare us in the face are a) is God omnibenevolent given the current reality? b) is God omnipotent? This paper addresses these questions from the African place using the African theory of duality and its underlying logic, Ezumezu. We argue that the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse effects (such as death, hardship and social isolation) do not negate God’s benevolence and powerfulness. (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  6. Exploring Recent Themes in African Spiritual Philosophy.Diana-Abasi Ibanga - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):121-140.
    There are theoretical and thematic shifts in African spiritual philosophy literature on the meaning of spirituality. On the one hand, traditional conceptions of spirituality are based on the dimensions of transcendence and supernaturalism. Common themes include ritualism, totemism, incantation, ancestorism, reincarnation, destiny, metempsychosis, witchcraft, death, soul, deities, etc. On the other hand, the evolving trend appeals to naturality and immanence. Common themes include sacrality, piety, respectability, relatability, existential gratitude, sacred feminine, etc. This work explores these recent and developing themes. It (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  7. Onyenachiya: A New Perspective on Religion in African Philosophy of Religion.Christiana Idika & Maduka Enyimba - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):189-208.
    How does one understand the relationship between a person and their objects of belief in the philosophy of Religion? How does the object of belief impact individuals’ lives, choices, decisions, and what they become in the future? The character of religion is binding, and the object of belief in a being – transcendent or immanent as the sole determinant of the fate and destiny of individuals leaves room for many questions that border on freedom and responsibility. By introducing Onyenachiya to (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  8.  4
    The Oromo Doctrine of God.Workineh Kelbessa - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):71-86.
    The Oromo of Ethiopia, the largest ethnic group, have their own indigenous religion known as Waaqeffanna. They believe in one Waaqa guraacha (black God) – the God who created the universe and the various forms of life. Waaqa has multiple attributes. Waaqa is He who is before everything else. Waaqa is Uumaa (a creator of everything in the world). Waaqa is hunda beekaa (omniscient). Waaqni gonkumaa kan hin Duune (God is immortal). Waaqa is hundaa tolaa (omnibenevolent). Waaqa is hunda danda’aa (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  9. Evil, Death, and Some African Conceptions of God.Hasskei M. Majeed - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):53-70.
    The age-old philosophical problem of evil, especially prominent in Western philosophy, as resulting from the intellectual irreconcilability of some appellations of God with the presence of evil – indeed, of myriads of evil – in the world, has been debated upon by many African religious scholars; particularly, philosophers. These include John Mbiti, Kwasi Wiredu, Kwame Gyekye, E. B. Idowu and E.O. Oduwole. While the debate has often been about the existence or not of the problem of evil in African theology, (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  10. The Ontological Status of Yahweh and the Existence of the Thing we call God.Lerato Likopo Mokoena - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):141-150.
    The essence of deities has captured our imaginations for as long as we can remember. Does a God exist, or is the divine entity just a figment of our dreams, a projection? Is God what Aribiah Attoe calls a “regressively eternal and material entity” or what Gericke calls “a character of fiction with no counterpart outside the worlds of text and imagination”? This paper aims to wrestle with those questions from a theological perspective and to look at the ontological status (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  11. Approches Africaines Sur Les Questions De Dieu, De La Mort Et Du Mal: Quelques Leçons Anthropologiques Vers Une Philosophie Interculturelle De La Religion.Pius Mosima - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):169-188.
    Dans cet article, je plaide en faveur d'une philosophie interculturelle de la religion dans une perspective africaine. Je me concentre sur les fondements philosophiques des diverses pratiques et croyances religieuses significatives qui donnent lieu aux concepts de Dieu, de la mort et du problème du mal. Une étude philosophique des religions traditionnelles africaines, basée sur des découvertes anthropologiques à travers les orientations culturelles africaines, nous donne un bon point de départ pour comprendre les visions du monde et les expériences religieuses (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  12.  3
    African Approaches to God, Death and the Problem of Evil: Some Anthropological lessons towards an Intercultural Philosophy of Religion.Pius Mosima - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):151-168.
    In this paper, I make a case for an intercultural philosophy of religion from an African perspective. I focus on the philosophical underpinnings of the various meaningful religious practices and beliefs that give rise to the concepts of God, death and the problem of evil. A philosophical study of African traditional religions, based on anthropological findings across African cultural orientations, gives us a good starting point in understanding African worldviews and religious experiences. It also reveals that the various world religions (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  13. The Concept of God in Igbo Traditional Religious Thought.Anthony Chimankpam Ojimba & Victor Iwuoha Chidubem - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (4):103-120.
    This paper examines the concept of God in traditional Igbo-African religious thought, prior to the advent of Western religion, with a view to showing that the idea of a God/Deity who is supreme in every area of life and sphere of influence and who “creates out of nothing,” like the God of the Christian or Western missionaries, is unrecognized in the Igbo-African traditional religious thought. Even though the Igbo conceive of strong and powerful deities that can only reign supreme within (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  14.  4
    Review of [African metaphysics, epistemology, and a new logic: A decolonial approach to philosophy], by Jonathan O. Chimakonam and L. Uchenna Ogbonnaya. [REVIEW]Tosin Adeate - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):127-132.
  15.  1
    Deconstructing the Idolatry of white supremacy: Embracing a trinitarian identity as solidarity with others.SimonMary A. Aihiokhai - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):19-32.
    The question that faces communities today has to do with who belongs and who has the right to claim certain identity markers. In contemporary United States of America, whiteness stands as an idol unto itself for it seeks to delegitimise all other identity markers except those it has given legitimacy, and which serve its own interests. One cannot deconstruct whiteness as a racial construct unless one sheds light on its origins and how it continues to validate itself in society. A (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  16.  2
    Scientism and the evolution of philosophies and ideologies of structural racism against Africans.Kizito Michael George - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):33-50.
    One of the fundamental fallacies of racism is the confusion between biological accidents such as: body, colour, environment, size, shape, and melanin with metaphysical essences like; soul, mind, and intellect. Personness for instance is an essential category that does not depend on the above accidental attributes. Since time immemorial, racism has been reinforced by deeply entrenched social structures. These structures are the offspring of both overt and covert racism. Structural racism is epitomised by ideologies that have been well disguised under (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  17.  2
    A critique of Fela Anikulapo’s “Blackism” as a failed instance of the valorisation of blackness.Olawunmi C. Macaulay-Adeyelure - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):81-92.
    The aim of this essay is to show that instances of valorising blackness have turned out to be harmful to African peoples. Whereas there have been several movements such as Black Power Movement, Black Consciousness Movement as well as individuals such as Steve Biko, Aime Cesaire, Leopold Sedar Senghor, William DuBois, Edward Blyden, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, it is the case that none of these minds made the conscious effort to interrogate the literal and symbolic use of black for Africans. Consequently, (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  18. Racial inequality and the imperative critique of the South African negotiated settlement.Gugu Ndlazi - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):93-104.
    The former South African first black President’s vision aimed to unite and fight racial tensions and inequalities by introducing and envisioning a South Africa for all who live in it. However, twenty-five years later, the post-apartheid South Africa is riddled with cancerous ills such as racial inequality, racism, and failure to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. This paper will attest to the notion that the 1994 rainbow nation ideology is dead because racial inequality is still a (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  19. Are the communications of African flight attendants a form of slurred speech?Isaiah A. Negedu & Peter Echewija Sule - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):7-18.
    Onboard international flights, you may have witnessed the pre-takeoff information/in-flight safety speech by the cabin crew. It is not out of place that they tend to be European in their mode of speaking. However, when on a local flight, the Europeanness of speech still comes out loud. We want to understand why such Europeanised intonation should be and the audience it is meant to serve. Our research leads us to the conclusion that this insensitivity of local airline operators stems from (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  20.  1
    Honorary Whiteness: Delusions of Racial Hierarchy.Isaiah Aduojo Negedu - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):1-6.
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  21.  4
    Honorary whiteness: The psychology of racial cognitive illusion.Aloysius Uchechukwu Onah - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):67-80.
    Experiences whether personal or collective, sometimes evoke a psychological satisfaction of being superior to others. This could be due to inappropriate perception or some prejudice. When misperception takes a systematic and permanent form, it becomes an illusion. Several scientific works imply possible racial cognitive illusions. In this work, I treat honorary whiteness as a diminutive way of referring to some categories of human beings. Honorary whiteness is an ideology based on the belief of being superior to others on the basis (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  22. Honorary whiteness as an ideological tool sustaining a hierarchical racial order and land expropriation in South Africa.Babalwa Sibango - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (3):51-66.
    As a country with a history of settler-colonialism, the land question in South Africa remains one of the critical issues of redress that is highly contested. Furthermore, opinions on the land question tend to be divided along racial lines. This paper uses white ignorance as a theoretical framework to explain these polarised views on the land question in South Africa post-1994. The paper also uses the concept of honorary whiteness/brownness to explain how differences among ‘people of colour’ serve to sustain (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  23.  5
    Logical Realism and Ezumezu Logic.Dominic Effiong Abakedi & Emmanuel Kelechi Iwuagwu - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):61-74.
    This paper examines the metaphysical status of Ezumezu logic in the direction of logical realism. While presenting Ezumezu logic as a prototype of African logic, Chimakonam makes statements that somewhat entail logical monism. Using the method of critical analysis of related literature, the paper argues that presenting Ezumezu logic as one of the prototypes of African logic while at the same time making claims that elevate it to a hegemonic status, gives rise to what is regarded in the paper as (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  24.  8
    A Comparative Theological Approach to Virtue Ethics: Making Space for an African Perspective.SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):1-12.
    The twenty-first century world has radically been defined by multiple crises, including wars and grandiose exploitation of the poor by those with political and economic power. To address these crises, one must turn to virtuous life notions. In doing this, society has to learn from different religious and cultural wisdom. Consequently, a case is being made in this work that African ethical thoughts can enrich Christian notions of the virtuous life. African philosophical and cultural notions of community are relevant to (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  25.  5
    The Paradox of Ambivalent Human Interest in Innocent Asouzu’s Complementary Ethics: A Critical Inquiry.Patrick Effiong Ben - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):89-108.
    In this paper, I argue that the cause of morally self-defeating acts at the collective level is greed and, at the individual level, an unrestrained impulse for pleasure beyond Innocent Asouzu’s primordial instinct for self-preservation and ignorance. In investigating why humans act in self-defeating ways, Asouzu came up with two possible factors responsible for self-defeating acts: The primordial instinct for selfpreservation and ignorance. Besides Asouzu’s explanation, I here argue that the problem of self-defeating acts goes beyond the primordial instinct for (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  26.  7
    COVID-19 and Affirmative Action: A Response.Phila M. Msimang - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):127-148.
    Ovett Nwosimiri argues in a paper he published in 2021 that affirmative action and preferential hiring policies are no longer appropriate for South Africa because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case he makes is that since COVID-19 has impacted people of all races, there should no longer be any consideration of race in hiring policies and practices. He claims that continued preferential hiring practices unfairly discriminate against non-designated groups. I argue that this claim presumes that the (...)
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  27.  2
    Philosophy, Openness, and the imperative of continuous self-renewal.Pascah Mungwini - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):27-42.
    Philosophy premises itself on the ideals of openness and continuous self-renewal. And yet, the story of philosophy has been an endless struggle against the violence of systematic exclusion and erasure. This article deploys the principle of openness as an analytic category to reflect on the broader question of epistemic decolonisation and the imperative this imposes on the practice of philosophy. There are important ontological, epistemological, and ethical dimensions to the principle of openness with a bearing on the enterprise and how (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  28.  13
    Engaging in African Epistemology as a Form of Epistemic Decolonization.Ovett Nwosimiri - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):75-88.
    Epistemic decolonization has taken centre stage in academia and everyday life. Epistemic decolonization is a call to dismantle the Western way of thinking and its self-arrogated hegemonic authority. It is also a call to re-centre the knowledge enterprise in Africa from a western-centric orientation to an African-centric one to accommodate African epistemic formations. In this paper, I intend to contribute to the discussions of epistemic decolonization by showing that engaging in African epistemology is a form of epistemic decolonization. My argument (...)
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  29.  10
    Cynicism, Denialism, and Fatalism: The Triple Pandemism of Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories.Al Chukwuma Okoli & Peter Sule - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):43-60.
    Humanity is under siege with Covid-19. Whilst the crisis aggravates, the world is also grappling with yet another challenge - a global misinformation conundrum. This arises from the spread of contagious conspiracy theories that obfuscate understanding the pandemic at best. Incidentally, the conspiracy theories have gone as viral as Covid-19 itself, spreading just as swiftly digitally as the virus does physically. The outcome has been a spectrum of attitudinal patterns, ranging from cynicism and skepticism to outright denialism and fatalism. Using (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  30.  5
    Fallibilism Theory and the Fate of Knowledge Progress in (Igbo) African Society: A Conversation with Amaechi Udefi.Gabriel Chukwuebuka Otegbulu & Winifred Chioma Ezeanya - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):13-26.
    The Igbo knowledge system articulated by Amaechi Udefi is insufficient to ensure knowledge progress as opposed to the system found in fallibilism theory. The reason is that there is a level of intellectual openness fallibilism theory guarantees that is not found in Udefi’s thought. This paper aims to do a comparative study of fallibilism theory and Udefi’s account of the Igbo knowledge system. The study also investigates to what extent each knowledge system can ensure knowledge growth and development. The significance (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  31.  6
    Teaching Ancient Egyptian Philosophy of Education in Teacher Education.Simphiwe Sesanti - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (2):109-126.
    In 2003, almost a decade after South Africa’s 1994 first democratic elections, an academic debate emerged about the need to include the indigenous African philosophy of education in teacher education. Subsequently, Ubuntu philosophy has been given attention in philosophy for teacher education. However, ancient Egyptian philosophy of education, an indigenous African tradition, is absent. On their part, European and Asian philosophies of education are centred, leaving space for some philosophers of education to falsely attribute the genesis of philosophy, in general, (...)
    Direct download (3 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  32.  4
    Bewaji and Fayemi On God, Omnipotence and Evil.Ada Agada - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):41-56.
    This paper explores the contradiction of positing the existence of a God who is at once omnipotent and not omnipotent in respect of his power that arises in the thought of two African philosophers of religion, John A.I. Bewaji and Ademola Kazeem Fayemi who accept the limitation thesis that projects a limited God and deny the legitimacy of the transcendence view in Yoruba and, by extension, African thought. I demonstrate in this paper that the contradiction arises from the fact that (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   2 citations  
  33.  10
    Redefining the Problem of Evil in the Context of a Predeterministic World: New Conversations with the Traditional African Worldview.Aribiah David Attoe - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):9-26.
    Merciful, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, spirit, unchanging, the first cause, unknowable. These are just some of the properties that some scholars of African religions have attributed to the being they call God. Setting aside accusations that some of these properties reflect the colonially imposed religions, it is almost taken as a given that these properties really do belong to some of the various versions of the African God. This, then, raises the question: how is it ever the case that the present (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   2 citations  
  34.  4
    Abhored but Necessary: A Relational Interrogation of Zaman Lafia (Peaceful Living) and the Evil of the Death Penalty in the Traditional Hausa Belief System.Zubairu Lawal Bambale - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):77-96.
    In Hausa worldview, Peaceful living is conceived as the chief goal of life. Zaman Lafiya is that which determines goodness or badness of actions and practices. Everything, including morality, life, death and the afterlife is construed as being good or bad with reference to Zaman Lafiya. So, for instance, no matter the gravity of one’s wrongful conducts, it is not justified to punish him, except when punishing him does contribute to the consolidation/realization/attainment of Zaman Lafiya. This paper investigates the Hausa (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  35.  14
    Why the Problem of Evil Might not be a Problem after all in African Philosophy of Religion.Amara Esther Chimakonam - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):27-40.
    For decades, the problem of evil has occupied a centre stage in the Western philosophical discourse of the existence of God. The problem centres on the unlikelihood to reconcile the existence of an absolute and morally perfect God with the evidence of evil in the universe. This is the evidential problem of evil that has been a source of dispute among theists, atheists, agnostics, and sceptics. There seems to be no end to this dispute, making the problem of evil a (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   2 citations  
  36.  8
    Indigenous African Religions (IARs) and the Relational Value of Tolerance: Addressing the evil of violent conflicts in Africa.Jonathan O. Chimakonam - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):97-114.
    This essay argues that the inherent value of Indigenous African Religions, which ensures that the belief in different gods does not eclipse the fact of common humanity might be of importance to contemporary Africa plagued by ceaseless conflicts. The IAR ideology contrasts, for example, with that of Christianity which views the Christian God as the one true God and regards those who worship a different God as pagans and gentiles. It also contrasts with the ideology of Islam, which views Allah (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  37.  7
    African Philosophy of Religion from a Global Perspective: Deities, Ancestors, Relationality and the Problem of Evil.Luís Cordeiro-Rodrigues & Jonathan O. Chimakonam - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):1-8.
    In this essay, we explore what the African Philosophy of Religion would look like from both a mono-disciplinary and comparative perspectives. To do this, a few concepts such as Gods, ancestorhood, relationality, and the problem of evil that appear in the essays in this special issue will be highlighted. Our aim here is not to provide a lengthy and rigorous analysis of the field of African Philosophy of Religion or even some of its main concepts, but to offer a platform (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  38.  4
    Rethinking Monotheism: Some Comparisons between the Igala Religion and Christianity.Pao-Shen Ho - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):151-158.
    The Igala religion believes in the supreme God as well as the ancestral spirits. This belief system gives rise to the question of whether the Igala religion is monotheistic or polytheistic. Isaiah Negedu has recently argued that the Igala is a peculiar form of monotheism, namely inclusive monotheism. In contrast, this essay compares the Igala understanding of ancestral spirits with the Christian notions of angels and patron saints, and argues that the question of whether the Igala religion is monotheistic or (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  39.  10
    Divinities and Ancestors: A Preliminary Comparison between African and Confucian Cosmologies.Jiechen Hu - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):187-196.
    This paper reflects on two sets of terms in the field of religious studies, mainly through a comparative study with the divinities and ancestorship between African and Confucian cosmologies: the first one is the classification of monotheism, polytheism and animism; and the second is so-called ‘ancestor worship’. I argue that the classification system of monotheism, polytheism, and animism is partially invalidated in both African religions and Chinese Confucianism. This is because in both traditions, even if there is a supreme or (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  40.  11
    Augustine, Ancestors and the Problem of Evil: African Religions, the Donatists, and the African Manichees.Wei Hua - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):131-138.
    In this paper, I compare the philosophy of Augustine with the philosophy of relevant African traditions: Donatists, Manichees, and African traditional religions. I try to demonstrate that Augustine’s religious thought was partly influenced by local African religions or movements, but also differed from them substantially. I will carry out this comparative work looking at two important issues: the problem of evil and the existence of other supernatural entities, such as ancestors, and their relationship with humans. These comparisons lead to a (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  41.  13
    An Argument for the Non-Existence of the Devil in African Traditional Religions.Emmanuel Ofuasia - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):57-76.
    In this essay, I will argue that the discourse over the existence of the Devil/Satan has no place among the religious cultures in sub-Saharan Africa. This may be contrasted with the numerous efforts in the dominant philosophy of religion tradition in the Anglo-American sphere, where efforts toward the establishing grounds for the existence of God have occupied and commanded so much attention. On the other hand, it seems to have been taken for granted that Devil, the One who is antagonistic (...)
    Direct download (4 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  42.  3
    The Question of the Nature of God from the African Place.L. Uchenna Ogbonnaya - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):115-130.
    What is the constituent nature of God? Most scholars project the idea that God is an absolute, pure spirit devoid of matter. In this paper, I engage this position from the African philosophical place. First, I contend that the postulation that God is pure spirit stems from an ontological system known as dualism. This system bifurcates reality into spirit and matter and sees spirit as good, and matter as evil. Therefore, scholars who subscribe to this theory of dualism, posit that (...)
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  43.  3
    Comparing Concepts of God: Translating God in the Chinese and Yoruba Religious Contexts.G. U. Rouyan - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):139-150.
    This article discusses the concept of God with a focus on the translation of God in the Chinese and Yoruba religious contexts. Translating the word God is of the essence when comparing concepts of god. The translation of the Christian God as Olodumare misrepresents the latter. As suggested by Africanists, there should be appropriate translations for God, Olodumare, and other African gods. As a preliminary comparative attempt, this article presents a case on the introduction of God to the Chinese people. (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   1 citation  
  44.  4
    What is Sacrifice? Towards a Polythetic Definition with an Emphasis on African and Chinese Religions.Bony Schachter - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):173-186.
    This paper asks a simple and yet extremely relevant question for scholars of religion: what is sacrifice? Rejecting monothetic definitions of sacrifice, I argue that the phenomenon must be understood as a polythetic class. In its two first sections, the paper discusses the evidence from African religions and Chinese religions, respectively. The last section is devoted to a comparative exercise through which I highlight the polythetic nature of sacrifice.
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark  
  45.  4
    Pathways Towards a Global Philosophy of Religion: The Problem of Evil from an Intercultural Perspective.Jun Wang & Luís Cordeiro-Rodrigues - 2022 - Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 11 (1):197-206.
    In this article, we will make the case for an intercultural philosophy of religion with a special focus on interculturality between Chinese and African philosophies. We will provide an overview of the kind of intercultural philosophy that has already been undertaken between the East and the South and point out that a philosophy of religion has been left out. We will then make the case for a global philosophy of religion approach and why Chinese and African philosophies of religion should (...)
    No categories
    Direct download (2 more)  
     
    Export citation  
     
    Bookmark   3 citations  
 Previous issues
  
Next issues