An Introduction to African Philosophy of Science
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The totality of humans is unthinkable without African people. Likewise, our modern understanding of the world is unthinkable without African science. Yet there seems to be proportionally fewer discussions alluding to African peoples' participation in modern scientific thought. This book explores what science is and to a greater extent what science ought to be, and asks what is meant by someone or something being "scientific". The work of African philosophy of science discussed here is not so much of discovering new facts about African people. But rather it is coordinating indigenous thought for the purpose of guiding a contemporary coherent cognitive orientation in an African world.
Contents |
[edit] African history of science
The purpose of this chapter is to explore an inclusive history of science that ranges from the ancients to the present time. African history of science discussed here, therefore, includes the understanding of the atom as well as studies of genetic basis of life. In addition, this chapter involves the roots of human investigation that has led to our modern mastery of the structure of the universe.
[edit] Examination of sources of scientific method
Understanding history of science helps us to reason well about the origin of major scientific methods. Earlier in human history, people of African descent spent time to observe nature and wrote about their examinations on walls, stones, coffins, papyri and clay. They also wrote on their bodies and on bones of the dead from which history of the continent can be reconstructed. African scholars were among the earliest scientists in the world. Their writings available today help us to trace the origins of scientific concepts and lead us to appreciate the African systematization of learning from nature. In ancient Egypt (Kemet), Nubia and Axum, there were several text books written which we can read today. These include texts on reasoning from particular to general and from general to particular. The Nile Valley arts of sculpture and painting were other ways of writing. Wine making, food preparation and food preservation were also means of doing science. These together involved African ways of storing scientific methods. We find that there were theories of solving practical problems in Africa as we go through the African historical texts. This chapter, therefore, looks at the fundamental approach to science that developed from the continent of Africa and may still be helpful today in distinguishing between scientific way and non-scientific way.
