The end of ubuntu”

An extension of Matolino’s scepticism

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11420719
AutoresTosin Adeate (0000-0001-9864-0345, Philosophy, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen41
Número4
Páginas325-336
Fecha de publicación2022-10-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSouth African Journal of Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0258-0136 • E-ISSN: 2073-4867
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02580136.2022.2115608
OpenAlexW4323268843
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas19

In a joint article1 with Wenceslaus Kwindingwi, Bernard Matolino declared an end to ubuntu. The declaration, they argue, is a result of the failure of ubuntu in practice and theory in modern African societies. This declaration triggered strong reactions, and an analysis of these responses suggests the need for continuous interrogations of African ideals and beliefs and their relevance to modern African thought. In this article, I argue that Kwindingwi and Matolino’s argument is in line with Matolino’s broader scepticism about Afro-communitarianism in general. In other works, he insists that attempts to theoretically and practically ground postcolonial African philosophy in ideas of Afro-communitarianism exaggerate its functionality. I aim to show that Matolino’s Socratic process and the outcomes, as demonstrated in the “The end of ubuntu”, aim to produce quality understanding and reasoned defence of the traditional ideas aimed to guide modern African thought. The rejectionist approach should be seen as a nudge to make the advocacy for African ideals and beliefs, such as ubuntu, match up with the knowledge of them and how they operate in reality

African philosophy · Communitarianism · Declaration · Epistemology · Liberalism · Political science · Skepticism · Sociology · Socratic method · African cultural and philosophical studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy