University of the Free State Anton Wilhelm Amo (1703-1756) the African-German Philosopher of Mind: An Eighteen-century Intellectual History by Victor U Emma-Adamah Dissertation submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology at the Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa of the University of the Free State. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Adriaan C. Neele Dr. Johann Rossouw March 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE.............................................................................................................................................................I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................... II ABBREVIATIONS...........................................................................................................................................IV INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER…..……………………………………………………………………………………………..1 BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION ............................................................................................................1 STATE OF THE RESEARCH ...........................................................................................................................2 LIFE AND WORK OF ANTON WILHELM AMO .................................................................................................................2 WORKS..................................................................................................................................................................................6 HISTORICAL CONTEXTS ...............................................................................................................................8 THE ENLIGHTENMENT CONTEXT OF HIS TIME..............................................................................................................8 THE INTELLECTUAL AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT OF HIS CAREER AND WRITING .........................11 PHILOSOPHICAL AND INTELLECTUAL CONTEXTS........................................................................... 17 SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES AROUND PSYCHOLOGY ............................17 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND METHODOLOGY................................................................................... 20 SOURCES......................................................................................................................................................... 22 NOTE ON TRANSLATIONS................................................................................................................................................22 CHAPTER ONE….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………29 EARLY YEARS, EARLY INFLUENCES ....................................................................................................... 30 EARLY EDUCATION..................................................................................................................................... 34 PORTRAIT OF EARLY YEARS............................................................................................................................................38 A. African consciousness ..........................................................................................................................................39 B. Ancient Philosophy................................................................................................................................................40 UNIVERSITY OF HALLE YEARS ................................................................................................................ 42 INTELLECTUAL SETTING AT HALLE..............................................................................................................................43 2 A PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHER: AMO’S ACADEMIC CAREER..................................................... 52 The Wolffian Conflicts in German Institutions...............................................................................................52 A. University of Wittenberg ....................................................................................................................................57 B. Tragedy......................................................................................................................................................................61 C. Life as an academic philosopher in Germany............................................................................................62 D. University of Jena...................................................................................................................................................65 THE LAST ACADEMIC STINT ..........................................................................................................................................68 LAST DAYS IN GERMANY........................................................................................................................... 71 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................. 75 CHAPTER TWO….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..76 INTRODUCTION: A CLASH OF THE OLD AND NEW ........................................................................... 77 AMO’S STATUS QUAESTIONES: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION............................................................................................82 THE GERMAN ENLIGHTENMENT SETTING.......................................................................................... 88 AXIS 1: MATERIAL STUFF AND ORGANIC BODIES ............................................................................ 91 ARISTOTLE TO DESCARTES ............................................................................................................................................91 MECHANISM: ORGANIC BODIES AS MACHINES ..........................................................................................................96 MEDICAL ENLIGHTENMENT........................................................................................................................................ 103 PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................ 106 AXIS 2: A PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY OF COGNITION AND PERCEPTION .......................107 COGNITION AND PERCEPTION IN THE HYLOMORPHIC MAN .................................................................................. 107 Thomas Aquinas....................................................................................................................................................... 110 Preliminary Conclusion......................................................................................................................................... 117 THEORIES OF COGNITION AND PERCEPTION IN MECHANISTIC DUALISM........................................................... 118 A. Descartes ................................................................................................................................................................ 118 B. Leibniz ..................................................................................................................................................................... 121 C. Wolff ......................................................................................................................................................................... 129 PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................ 134 AXIS 3: PARADIGMS OF SOUL-BODY CAUSATION...........................................................................134 PHYSICAL INFLUX.......................................................................................................................................................... 137 OCCASIONALISM............................................................................................................................................................ 139 PRE-ESTABLISHED HARMONY .................................................................................................................................... 141 3 PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................ 144 AXIS 4: SOULS AND BODIES: THE THEOLOGICAL RESONANCES ................................................145 MARTIN LUTHER .......................................................................................................................................................... 147 JOACHIM LANGE ............................................................................................................................................................ 148 PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 151 CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................................152 CHAPTER THREE…..………………………………………………………………………………………………………..153 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................155 THE DISPUTATIO: A SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................