critically discuss bewaji’s ideas on african morality
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University of South Africa (Unisa)
PLS1502 - Introduction To African Philosophy (PLS1502)
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Essay: Bewaji - Humanistic Ethics
NB: The question can be phrased in the following ways
● Being morally upright is not as much a matter of pleasing the supernatural
forces as it is of promoting human welfare” (Bewaji, p. 57). Discuss this
statement critically, and indicate also why if this is true, there is so much
human disaster in Africa despite Africa’s humanistic ethics
● In your readings Bewaji how "in all societies the concepts of right and
wrong are determined by perceptions of what constitutes the good life for
individuals, on the one hand, and the general good of society, on the other”
How does Bewaji then argue for the particularity of an African morality?
● According to John Ayetunde Bewaji, ethics in Africa may be described as
humanistic, i.e. having human welfare as is goal. Critically discuss Bewaji’s
ideas on African morality as contained in his essay 'Ethics and Morality in
the Yoruba Culture' (2004).
● In his paper "Ethics and Morality in Africa John AI Bewaji (2002) argues that
[African] Morality Is predicated falsely on a religious foundation When these
suppositions are meant as derogatory commentates on the moral universe
in which Africans live, they are based on an improper understanding of the
principles that fashion the moral and social fabric of African societies In
your essay discuss how Bewaji comes to this conclusion when defining an
African morality and whether you agree with his critique
Introduction
Bewaji in his essay Ethics and Morality in Africa, asserts that morality and ethics in
Western and nonWestern societies have similar importance in that human social and
interpersonal behaviour is under the necessity of the adjustment of interests among
individuals for attaining the general well-being of the community. In this regard, the author
accounts for what makes African and non-African moral systems different.
This essay shall discuss these differences by critically analysing Bewaji’s statement that
“Being morally upright is not as much a matter of pleasing the supernatural forces as it is
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