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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper aligmnent can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI University Microfilms international A Beil & Howell Information Com pany 300 Nortfi Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9201730 Contemporary African philosophy and development: An asset or a liability? Osei, Joseph, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1991 UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY AND DEVELOPMENT: AN ASSET OR A LIABILITY? DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Josep h Osei, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1991 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Andrew Oldenquist James P. Scanlan A dviser Donald C. Hubin Department of Philosophj Copyright by Joseph Osei 1991 To the memory of the late U.S. Congressman Mickey, who died in the Ethiopian mountains trying to reach starving Africans with food and hope; and to all missionaries, educators, and statesmen who have sacrificed their lives, time, talent, or treasure to promote the well being of Africa. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS At this final stage of writing it is tempting to congratulate one’s self, shouting, "Hurray, I did it!" But I prefer to shout, "Hurray, we did it!" For I could not have reached this far without the contribution of family, sponsors, professors, and mentors. Space and time will fail me to list all of them here, but I am deeply grateful to everyone who has made any contribution towards my education, and, in particular, the writing of this dissertation. I can only men tion a few of those who deserve special thanks. My first special thanks go to Professor Andrew Oldenquist, my advisor, and to the rest of my dissertation committee members. Pro fessor Donald Hubin and Professor James Scanlan, for their depend able guidance, critical reviews, and thoughtful comments at various stages of this project. My next special thanks go to my mentors: Professors Robert G. Turnbull, Charles Kielkopf, and Alan Hausman of the Department of Philosophy, The Ohio State University; Abiola Irele of the African Studies Center, The Ohio State University; Gene Blocker and Warren 111 Ruckti of Ohio University in Athens; Dr. Moses Makinde of Awolowo University in Nigeria; Professors Kwasi Gyekye and Rev. K.A. Dickson of the University of Ghana; Dr. Kwame Safro of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; Rev. Dr. Brookman Amissah and Dr. K.O. Agyakwa of the University of Cape Coast; and Dr. Esther Megill of Trinity College in Ghana. Next, I wish to extend special thanks to my team of word-pro cessing experts: Mr Godwin Ntuk; Godwin’s wife, Jenny Ntuk; and Kimberly Holle. Thank you for being there whenever I needed help. I cannot also forget to thank my corporate and individual sponsors. I’m grateful to the Methodist Church in Ghana; Ohio Uni versity in Athens; The Ohio State University; and especially The Ohio State University Alumni Student Research Award for my research ex perience in Ghana in 1990. I thank Mr. I.K. Sarpong of Dansoman once again for his trust and financial support, which made it possible for me to obtain a U.S. v isa in 1984. Finally, my hearty thanks go to my immediate family. Thank you, Victoria, my wife, for your unfailing love and support all these years. Thank you, Lucy and Georgina, my senior daughters, for un derstanding and forgiving my long absence from home. IV VITA December 10, 1951 Born - Kokofu, Ashanti, Ghana 1975 - 1978 Theology, Trinity College, Legon, Ghana 1978 - 1981 B.A., Religion and Philosophy, University of Ghana, Legon 1981 - 1983 Teaching Assistant, Logic and Intro ductory Philosophy; University of Cape Coast, Ghana 1984 - 1985 M.A., Philosophy; Teaching A ssistant, Logic and Introductory Philosophy, Ohio U n iv ersity , A thens, Ohio- 1986 - Present Doctoral Student; Teaching Assistant, Logic, Introductory Philosophy, and Ethics; Department of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. PUBLICATIONS Fundamental Principles of Logic (Ghana: University of Cape Coast Press, 1982). "Quality Education For Third World Youth," T.O.D.A.Y. International (Winter/Spring, 1991). FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Fhilosophy Studies in: Ethics, History o* Philosophy (Modern), and Metaphysics TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii VITA iv PREFACE X CHAPTER I. IS CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY A WESTERN IDEOLOGY? 1 The Argument from Ideology 8 Why Philosophy is not an Ideology 15 F ootnotes 29 II. IS PHILOSOPHY A LIXURY FOR AFRICA 32 Why Philosophy is not a Luxury for Africa 39 1. Philosophy Cultivates Critical Thinking Skills 40 2. Philosophy C ultivates C reativity 42 3. Philosophy and the Cultivation of Liberal A ttitu d es 45 4. Philosophy as the Conscience of Society 49 5. Philosophy as (part of the) Conscience of its Intellectual Community 54 6. How Philosophy Promotes the Growth of Science: The Example of Western Philosophy 59 Footnotes 77 III. THE DILEMMA OF AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT: A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH 79 A Formal Representation of Africa’s Dilemma 81 The Empirical Bases for the Dilemma 82 VI What is Dependence? 84 A Critique of African Theories of Development 88 1. The Revolutionary Theory of Development 89 2. The Pragmatist Theory of Development 95 C ritique 98 Ideological Opportunism 98 Footnotes 104 IV. THE WAY OUT OF AFRICA’S DILEMMA: A POPPERIAN THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT 106 The Neo-Capitalist Theory of Development 107 Critique of Katapu’s Theory 111 A Contextualized Theory of Development 115 Seven Strategies for Transcending Dependency 117 1. Indigenization 117 2. D om estication 118 3. D iversification 119 4. Horizontal Interpenetration 120 5. Vertical Counterpenetration 121 8. Domestic Austerity 123 7. Encouraging Northern Extravagance 124 My C ritiq u e of Ali M azrui’s Theory 125 A Popperian Theory of Development 129 1. Justification for the Development Virtues in my Theory 130 A. Critical Thinking 130 B. Complex Problem Solving Skills 132 C. M odernization 133 D. Procreative Industrialization 135 2. Strategies for Combating the Vices of Development 136 V ll A. D ependency 136 B. Bribery and Corruption 139 C. The Vice of Military Interventions 142 F ootnotes 147 V. CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY IN SEARCH OF THE BEST IDEOLOGY FOR AFRICA: THE NEW RATIONAL CHOICE 149 The Old Rational Choice 152 The New Rational Choice 158 Step 1: Scientific Socialism or Liberal Democracy? 160 S tep 2: Choosing the B est Form of Capitalism 188 1. Laissez Faire Capitalism 189 2. Welfare Capitalism 192 3. P roduction O riented Capitalism 194 4. Development Capitalism 196 Footnotes 203 VI. CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN PHILOSOPHERS AT WORK: TRANSCENDING CULTURAL OBSTACLES AND PAVING THE WAY FOR SCIENCE 206 Wiredu On The Cultural Evils Plaguing the Akan Culture 208 1. Anachronism 208 2. Authoritarianism 212 3. Super naturalism 217 Sodipo and Makinde On Diagnosing and Prescribing Treatment for African Causal Explanations 220 Agyakwa and Nduka On Identifying and Bridging the Epistemological Gap 228 Irele and Agyakwa on Identifying and Transcending Forms of Cultural Alienation that Hinder Progress 234 Making Religion an Ally for Science and Development 248 V l l l 1. Nkrumah’s Approach 248 2. W iredu’s A pproach 250 3. Horton’s Approach 251 4. Appiah’s Approach 254 5. Osei’s A pproach 255 Footnotes 270 BIBLIOGRAPHY 275 IX PREFACE It is no exaggeration to suggest in anthropomorphic terms that, while the condition of Western Philosophy in the 90s corresponds to the image of a grand old lady still running in her 70s, that of con temporary African philosophy corresponds to that of any one of the sick-and-dying African girls we have been seeing on the T.V. for the last decade. ’Adiyaa,’ meaning miserable, is the typical name given to an or phan or any miserable child among the Akans of Ghana. To reflect her miserable condition let’s call Contemporary African Philosophy Adiyaa. Both of these Adiyaaa are the victims of the ongoing ideo logical and economic crisis in Africa. From the ideological stance, the existence of contemporary African philosophy as an academic institution is jeopardized by the growing suspicion that it is no more than a Western ideology being propagated by Western-trained African philosophers. They are, on this view, the conscious or unconscious agents of Western imperialism and neo-colonialism for the continued mental, economic, and political domination of Africa. On the basis of the similarity between the courses offered in our African philosophy departments and their Western counterparts, the limited number of courses on "African Phi losophy," and the rationale that it is intended to make the African student competitive abroad, it has been argued that philosophy is "an instrument of Western cultural penetration" and "dependency."^ Consequently, the discipline is perceived by these critics to be not an asset, but a liability or a counterproductive force to Africa’s de velopm ent.