Idowu Mabol Olaolu
Olabisi Onabanjo University





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The Idea of African Philosophy in the 21st Century: A Yoruba Example

For decades, debate on the existence of African Philosophy took a meta-philosophical dimension. This was intellectuaaly warranted in order to rescue African philosophical enterprise from the domineering force of the Western intellectual imperialism. This Western force is trying to evolve a pattern of discourse whose final result will convince the Africans that they(Africans) are not capable of developing an organised principle by themselves for attaining the good life. In concrete terms, they are simply saying that Africans are not capable of reflective or critical analysis therefore there cannot be African Philosophy. This becomes clearer in Levy Bruhl's famous assertion that "Africans have pre-logical rationality". Although in agreement with Sophie Oluwole the futility of the continuation of the debate on the reality of African Philosophy is today generally conceded. Yet I find it problematic and intellectually worrisome, the way and manner African Philosophy is being presented to the world. In this paper, we demonstrate that the reality of African Philosophy is as constant as the Northern Star. We argue that since since many of the Yoruba proverbs are metaphysical, epistemological, ethical and aesthetic then, they are philosophical. After all, the gamut of philosophical enterprise is not over and above Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics and Aesthetics. More also, we argue that in the 21st Century with all its anticipated challenges African Philosophy should be given an intellectual boost by demonstrating it in a concrete way. For instance, more attention should be paid on the issues as proverbs, aphorisms, Ifa divination, African science, etc. All these are critical, reflective and therefore philosophical.