The Question of African Philosophy Today: The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Philosophy

Abstract

With the existence of African philosophy established, one of the issues that confronts African philosophers is: how relevant is African philosophy? Central to this question is the issue of how African philosophy can be made relevant in and beyond Africa. In the paper, I argue that African philosophy will become relevant when it is not only thought of as a branch of philosophy (Western philosophy), but that it exists as a discipline of its own. The reason for this stance is that Western philosophy is relevant today because it has been developed and studied as a discipline. As a result, I believe that if African philosophy gains autonomy from Western philosophy in African and other universities, it will eventually reach the level of Western philosophy. I also assert that this can be feasible if the present philosophy curriculum is adjusted. This is what is referred to as a “paradigm shift in philosophy.” This paper is both expository and prescriptive.