Howard University · Department of Philosophy · PHIL 179-01
Africana thought, taken thematically rather than chronologically — nine topics on one argument: history is never “facts and nothing but the facts”.
What this course is
This course examines the main ideas of key thinkers within the Africana philosophical tradition. Rather than proceeding chronologically, it is built around thematic units — religion, ontology, epistemology, ethics, gender and race — each giving a foundational understanding of how Africana thought developed on a major philosophical topic, with Òrìṣà (Yorùbá) philosophy as the worked example.
Running through every unit is one distinction. History 1 is the constellation of facts. History 2 is the set of theories that guide how we collect facts and turn them into evidence. History 3 is the rational reconstruction of the broad conceptual frameworks — “Western”, “the market”, “development”, “religion”, “race” — that shape thought itself. Topics 1–3 build the distinction; Topics 4–8 run it through ontology, epistemology, ethics, gender and race; Topic 9 asks what follows for the value, worth and contribution of Africans to the world we live in.
Throughout, we press on two things: where Africana and Western answers are incommensurable rather than merely different, and how many distinct methods Africana philosophical thought actually employs.
The route
Before Topic 1, open the Introduction slides (HAP 01): course requirements, the LMS, and why this course needs three kinds of history.
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Historical Methods slides ↓
Facts, theories and nomological structures; three senses of culture; the Afrocentric paradigm.
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Philosophy and Religion slides ↓
All philosophy is cultural; from practice to philosophy; Òrìṣà metaphysics and the problems of evil.
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Conceptions of Inquiry slides ↓
Facts, theories, conceptions — Collingwood, Twining and Finnegan; the three-question test.
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Òrìṣà Ontology Òrìṣà Ontology ↓ · Medicine ↓ · Essay Writing ↓ · Examination One Review ↓ · Practice Exam ↓
Category mistakes; ire and flourishing; Olódùmarè is not “God”; Ìwàpẹ̀lẹ́; the 256 sides of Èṣù.
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Social Epistemology slides ↓
Ifá as an academic discipline; the individual and the collective knower; underdetermination and holism.
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Òrìṣà Ethics slides ↓
Right and wrong; animal personhood from Autun to Hialeah; the àṣẹ of ẹbọ; standpoint.
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Gender slides ↓
Nature, nurture or culture? Oyěwùmí: Yorùbá does seniority, not gender.
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White Supremacy slides ↓
Charles W. Mills: the racial contract, seven elements of white supremacy, white ignorance as History 3.
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Course Conclusion slides ↓
Why facts, theories and conceptions decide the value, worth and contribution of Africans to the world — from Ifá’s binary to the UN map vote of 2026.
How we read: the lens, not the comparison
We will not be running the standard compare-and-contrast method. Instead we use a lens: one framework, W, is held up as the thing you look through in order to see another, B. Just as a pair of glasses changes how an object appears, the lens defines and modifies what B looks like. Bring three things to every reading — a clear frame of reference, stated grounds for comparison, and a thesis that follows from both.
What is required of you
Attendance
Your presence and participation in seminars are essential. Any missed class requires a 5–6 page make-up essay on that topic, submitted at the next class. Missing more than two classes may affect your final grade.
Three examinations
One essay of three to five pages on a topic assigned by the instructor, and a final research paper on a topic of your choice — cleared with the instructor first.
You must complete all course requirements to obtain a passing grade in this course.