The Philosophy of Ubuntu and the Origins of Democracy

The Philosophy of Ubuntu and the Origins of Democracy
Author: Jeroen Zandberg
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2010-03-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1445282348

This book deals with the African philosophy of Ubuntu and uses the latest scientific insights into human nature to show how to understand the human condition and best organize societyThe philosophy of Ubuntu states that people are by nature directed at others and that they can only be fully human when they are recognized by others. Ubuntu therefore provides for the best possible solution for the social contract theory. In Western and Eastern philosophy all connections are imposed from the outside causing a chicken-and-the-egg problem with social contract theories. These theories state that individuals enter an agreement with each other in order to live together. Unfortunately a contract can only have value if there is already a morality present but in both Western and Eastern philosophy this morality is not innately present making it impossible to ever come to a contract. This problem is not present with Ubuntu because there is an innate tendency to recognize others as part of the Self

African Philosophy Through Ubuntu

African Philosophy Through Ubuntu
Author: Mogobe B. Ramose
Publisher:
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1999
Genre: Philosophy, African
ISBN:

In spite of decolonisation, the philosophical character of European standpoint on colonisation together with its corresponding practices remains unchanged in its relations with the erstwhile colonies. It is precisely this condition which calls for the need for the authentic liberation of Africa. This speaks of a two-fold exigency. One is that the colonised people's conceptions of reality, knowledge and truth should be released from slavery and dominance under the European epistemological paradigm. Without this essential first step there cannot evolve a common authentic and liberating universe of discourse. The second exigency is that the evolving common universe of discourse must take into account the rational demands of justice to the colonised arising from the unjust wars of conquest that resulted in colonial disseizing of territory as well as the enslavement of the colonised. These rational demands of justice are specifically the restoration of territory to its indigenous rightful owners and reparations to them. This two fold exigency is the indisplensable neccessity for the authentic liberation of Africa, and indeed, all the colonised people of the world.

African Ethics

African Ethics
Author: Munyaradzi Felix Murove
Publisher: University of Kwazulu Natal Press
Total Pages: 492
Release: 2009
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN:

This is the first comprehensive volume on African ethics, centered on Ubuntu and its relevance today. Important contemporary issues are explored, such as African bioethics, business ethics, traditional African attitudes to the environment, and the possible development of a new form of democracy based on indigenous African political systems. In a world that has become interconnected, this anthology demonstrates that African ethics can make valuable contributions to global ethics. It is not only African academics, students, organizations, or those individuals committed to ethics that are envisaged as the beneficiaries of this book, but all humankind. A number of topics presented here were inspired by a Shona proverb that says, Ndarira imwe hairiri (One brass wire cannot produce a sound). The chorus of voices in African Ethics demonstrates this proverbial truism.

UBuntu and the Law

UBuntu and the Law
Author: Nyoko Muvangua
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
Total Pages: 485
Release: 2012
Genre: History
ISBN: 0823233820

This book brings together the uBuntu jurisprudence of South Africa, as well as the most cutting-edge critical essays about South African jurisprudence on uBuntu. Can indigenous values be rendered compatible with a modern legal system? This book raises some of the most pressing questions in cultural, political, and legal theory.

The Journey Behind

The Journey Behind
Author: Anita Duckworth-Bradshaw
Publisher: Author House
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2014-10-17
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1496993640

"Life is a journey and each one of us must start from somewhere because where we are today, is a result of the journey we have made and the path we chose." - Anita Duckworth-Bradshaw The Journey Behind is a collective tale of high profile professionals who besides all their successful achievements, decided to share their story and insights in various topics with the world through this book. They have not only shared their stories but each one of them, have gone the extra mile to offer some powerful practical tips on several different topics which will eliminate the thought of doubt in 'self' and promote positive attitude towards greatness.

The Lessons of Ubuntu

The Lessons of Ubuntu
Author: Mark Mathabane
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2018-01-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1510712623

A roadmap to healing America’s wounds, bridging the racial divide, and diminishing our anger. Mathabane touched the hearts of millions of people around the world with his powerful memoir, Kaffir Boy, about growing up under apartheid in South Africa and was praised by Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton. In his new book, The Lessons of Ubuntu: How an African Philosophy Can Inspire Racial Healing in America, Mathabane draws on his experiences with racism and racial healing in both Africa and America, where he has lived for the past thirty-seven years, to provide a timely and provocative approach to the search for solutions to America’s biggest and most intractable social problem: the divide between the races. In his new book, Mathabane tells what each of us can do to become agents for racial healing and justice by learning how to practice the ten principles of Ubuntu, an African philosophy based on the concept of our shared humanity. The book’s chapters on obstacles correlate to chapters on Ubuntu principles: The Teaching of Hatred vs. Empathy Racial Classification vs. Compromise Profiling vs. Learning Mutual Distrust vs. Nonviolence Black Bigotry vs. Change Dehumanization vs. Fogiveness The Church and White Supremacy vs. Restorative Justice Lack of Empathy vs. Love The Myth That Blacks and Whites Are Monolithic vs. Spirituality Self-Segregation: American Apartheid vs. Hope By practicing Ubuntu in our daily lives, we can learn that hatred is not innate, that even racists can change, and that diversity is America’s greatest strength and the key to ensuring our future. Concerned by the violent protests on university campuses and city streets, and the killing of black men by the police, Mathabane challenges both blacks and whites to use the lessons of Ubuntu to overcome the stereotypes and mistaken beliefs that we have about each other so that we can connect as allies in the quest for racial justice.

Re-Visioning Education in Africa

Re-Visioning Education in Africa
Author: Emefa J. Takyi-Amoako
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2018-01-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 331970043X

This book presents the case for a conceptual and pragmatic revolution of Africa’s formal educational systems. Using the context of Ubuntu-inspired education, the authors explore innovative ways to tackle the challenges faced by governments from the local and national level and beyond. Along the way, the editors and their contributors examine important policy questions to encourage fresh thinking on ways to improve the educational system and, in turn, to buoy the development of the region as a whole.

Social and Legal Theory in the Age of Decoloniality

Social and Legal Theory in the Age of Decoloniality
Author: Artwell Nhemachena
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 509
Release: 2018-06-07
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9956550493

Right from the enslavement era through to the colonial and contemporary eras, Africans have been denied their human essence portrayed as indistinct from animals or beasts for imperial burdens, Africans have been historically dispossessed and exploited. Postulating the theory of global jurisprudential apartheid, the book accounts for biases in various legal systems, norms, values and conventions that bind Africans while affording impunity to Western states. Drawing on contemporary notions of animism, transhumanism, posthumanism and science and technology studies, the book critically interrogates the possibility of a jurisprudence of anticipation which is attentive to the emergent New World Order that engineers human beings to become nonhumans while nonhumans become humans. Connecting discourses on decoloniality with jurisprudence in the areas of family law, environment, indigenisation, property, migration, constitutionalism, employment and labour law, commercial law and Ubuntu, the book also juggles with emergent issues around Earth Jurisprudence, ecocentrism, wild law, rights of nature, Earth Court and Earth Tribunal. Arguing for decoloniality that attends to global jurisprudential apartheid., this tome is handy for legal scholars and practitioners, social scientists, civil society organisations, policy makers and researchers interested in transformation, decoloniality and Pan-Africanism.

African Philosophy and Thought Systems

African Philosophy and Thought Systems
Author: Mawere, Munyaradzi
Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2016-01-21
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9956763012

The once acrimonious debate on the existence of African philosophy has come of age, yet the need to cultivate a culture of belonging is more demanding now than ever before in many African societies. The gargantuan indelible energised chicanery waves of neo-colonialism and globalisation and their sweeping effect on Africa demand more concerted action and solutions than cul-de-sac discourses and magical realism. It is in view of this realisation that this book was born. This is a vital text for understanding contextual historical trends in the development of African philosophic ideas on the continent and how Africans could possibly navigate the turbulent catadromous waters, tangled webs and chasms of destruction, and chagrin of struggles that have engrossed Africa since the dawn of slavery and colonial projects on the continent. The book aims to generate more insights and influence national, continental, and global debates in the field of philosophy. It is accessible and handy to a wider range of readers, ranging from educators and students of African philosophy, anthropology, African studies, cultural studies, and all those concerned with the further development of African philosophy and thought systems on the African continent.

The Golden Rule and the Games People Play

The Golden Rule and the Games People Play
Author: Rami Shapiro
Publisher: SkyLight Paths Publishing
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2015-10-19
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1594735980

This philosophical game changer looks critically at the Golden Rule in the context of game theory to see where it works and where it doesn’t, when it is applicable and when it isn’t. It shows you why knowing the difference can offer you a powerful way to transform your life from one driven by fear to one driven by love.