The eminent Ghanaian philosopher Kwasi Wiredu confronts the paradox that while Western cultures recoil from
claims of universality, previously colonized peoples, seeking to redefine their identities, insist on cultural
particularities. Wiredu's exposition of the principles of African traditional philosophy is not purely theoretical;
he shows how certain aspects of African political thought may be applied to the practical resolution of some of
Africa's most pressing problems.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: The Universal and the Particular
2. A Philosophical Perspective on the Concept of Human Communication
3. Are There Cultural Universals?
4. The Biological Foundation of Universal Norms
5. Universalism and Particularism in Religion from an African Perspective
6. Custom and Morality: A Comparative Analysis of Some African and Western Conceptions of Morals
7. Formulating Modern Thought in African Languages: Some Theoretical Considerations
8. The Concept of Truth in the Akan Language
9. African Philosophical Tradition: A Case Study of the Akan
10. The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy
11. Post-Colonial African Philosophy
12. An Akan Perspective on Human Rights
13. Philosophy and the Political Problem of Human Rights
14. Democracy and Consensus: A Plea for a Non-Party Polity
15. Postscript: Reflections on Some Reactions
Notes
Index
