A critique of Kwasi Wiredu’s humanism and impartiality
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Date
2016
Authors
Molefe, Motsamai
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
This article offers a critical reflection on Kwasi Wiredu’s
moral theory. On the one hand, the article is concerned
with the meta-ethical question regarding the nature of
moral properties, specifically, whether they are physical
(natural) or spiritual (supernatural). On the other, I
reflect on one facet of Wiredu’s normative theory,
namely, whether morality is best captured by partiality
or impartiality in the African tradition. With regards to
meta-ethics, this article reflects that Wiredu’s rejection
of a spiritual (supernaturalist) foundation of African
ethics is unsatisfactory; I also contend that he does not
offer a satisfactory defence of physicalism. I conclude
by observing that a plausible meta-ethical theory,
either physicalist or religious, is yet to be elaborated
within the African tradition. Secondly, I argue that
Wiredu’s normative theory is characterised by a
feature – impartiality – that is at odds with much of
African moral intuitions. Assertions like ‘charity begins
at home’ seem to suggest that African ethics should be
read in terms of partiality rather than impartiality.
Description
Keywords
Humanism, Kwasi Wiredu, Impartiality, Physical (natural), Spiritual (supernatural), African ethics, Moral theory
Citation
Molefe, M. (2016). A critique of Kwasi Wiredu’s humanism and impartiality. Acta Academica, 48(1), 91-110.