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A critical analysis of political philosophy in African political discourses


Abstract

To identify political philosophy in African political discourses is the task this paper is trying to unravel. Substantial record is available on African political discourses, but the clear philosophical thinking that lie beneath these discourses and unify them is not clear. Some authors are of the view that African political discourses has little or insufficient philosophical theories that inform them. However, African political discourses are texts and talks about African political ideas, contexts and situations on how to govern African political societies. Some of these discourses are; development, identity and unity, liberation, democracy, nation building, and sovereignty. This paper argues that Africa still need to identify and articulate political philosophy that unify these different political discourses. The hypothesis is that the African political philosophy that unifies these African political discourses, can be derived from African metaphysics, which is characteristically holistic, teleological and transcendent. The paper proposes that for African political philosophy to be based on African metaphysics; the mystical should not be substituted with the rational; the natural with the scientific; the human with the machine; cooperation with competition; and community with individuality, all in the name of liberation, identity, development, and democracy.

Keywords

political philosophy, African political discourses, liberation, identity, development, and democracy

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