summary and appraisal of chapters one, two and three of the book The African Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism, by Innocent C. Onyewuenyi.

Introduction

Can Africans philosophize? Is there such a thing as African philosophy? What contribution has Africans made on the world’s civilization and on the discipline of philosophy? These and a plethora of questions are seeking answers in today’s modern world.

Africa is being conceived by the world as savages, primitive, her people as those that reside in the Dark Continent who are intellectually inferior. Thus, Africans have not contributed anything to the discipline of philosophy. Hence, this work by Innocent Onyewuenyi aims at answering these questions and at reinstating the truth that philosophy has its origin in the Egyptian Mystery System.

In view of this, it is our aim in this paper to summarize and appraise chapters one, two and three of the book The African Origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism, by Innocent C. Onyewuenyi. To achieve this, we shall begin with a summary of the three chapters followed by an appraisal. Furthermore, we shall present some recommendations on the book in view.

1.0       Summary of Chapter One

In chapter one of this book, the author sets out to expose the derogatory remarks and views held by Europeans about Africa and Africans. One of such view is that “Africans are intellectually inferior to white race and cannot engage in logical and abstract thinking.”[1] Thus, they deny Africa’s contribution to philosophy.[2] He further states that philosophy originated from the Egyptian Mystery System and that the first homo sapiens in Europe migrated from the Negroid who entered Europe through the Iberian Peninsula rather from the East as earlier claimed by the Europeans.

The author also narrates in this chapter his American and Nigerian experiences on the existence of African philosophy. The author who holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duquensne University, Pittsburgh, says that he and his scholarly colleagues had previously conceived the idea that Africans had no philosophy. According to him, this mistaken conception was due to the fact that the educational system and curriculum in Europe and America was to the advantage of the Europeans and Americans, turning the minds of the students against knowledge that would connote African superiority over Europe. Thus, this misconception was attributed to miseducation.

Furthermore, there is need for the study of African philosophy for both African/African-American and European/American students. For the European/American students, it will bring about a better race relation with the Africans and will enlighten them on the contributions of indigenous priest of the Mystery System to world civilization and learning. Correspondingly, it will expose black students to the rich history and civilization of African nations. It is pertinent to note that “some black Americans believe that slavery was a good thing because it took them out of savage, primitive Africa to civilization in the new word”[3]. This false notion about Africa is a result of the negative and denigrating information about Africa that is being thought in Western schools.

Again, there is a movement aimed at restoring the rich cultural history of Africa prior to slavery and imperialism. This movement is called the Afrocentric Movement. It is a series of activities initiated by concerned African and African-American scholars and educators. It is also aimed at “ensuring that the African heritage and culture, its history and contribution to world civilization and scholarship are reflected in the curricula on every level of academic instruction.”[4]

2.0       Summary of Chapter Two

In this chapter, the book presents us with the documentary evidence of the origin of Greek philosophy. Thales who is considered as the father of philosophy and credited with the earliest doctrine of Greek philosophy is a migrant to Miletus who was admitted to citizenship. “It is of interest to note that Thales was not a Greek but a Phoenician.”[5] He has been to Egypt to study and practice philosophy prior to his going to Miletus. Thus, he is not the prime mover of philosophy.

Greek philosophers and historians assert to the fact that philosophy has its origin from the African continent, precisely from the Egyptian Mystery system. Aristotle was the first to make this assertion. “He named Egypt as the place where philosophy started.”[6]  It is pertinent to also note that Thales of Miletus and Pythagoras of Samos both studied under Egyptian priests. The doctrine of immortality of the soul (migration of the soul) which is attributed to Aristotle and other Greek philosophers has its origin from Egypt. Again, the concept of nous and logos is also of Egyptian origin.

Furthermore, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, medical sciences, law and monotheistic religion originated from Egypt. Plato affirms that astronomy, mathematics and geometry are of Egyptian origin. Besides, Thales introduced sciences especially geometry into Greece. This he gained a mastery of in Egypt. Of significance is the fact that “the first physician of antiquity is the black Egyptian Imhotep, who lived about 2980 BC during the third dynasty.”[7] This is opposed to the Greek Hippocrates who is regarded as the father of medicine. Also, Greek and Western educational system are modelled after the Egyptian educational system. This is evident in Plato’s work Divided Line and Allegory of the Cave in which he recommends the application of Egyptian educational system in drawing up curriculum for the education of philosopher kings.

Again, the inhabitants of Egypt who were the founding fathers of philosophy were black Africans as opposed to the modern theory which claims that Egyptians migrated from Europe and were of the Caucasoid race. It is also of interest to know that the western world through Greece and Rome borrowed ideas of administration from Africa since the latter was well developed in government administration evident through its chronological history of dynasty. Also, Egypt has some cultural and linguistic connections with other parts of Africa.[8] Thus, Egypt has an ancestral link with other African countries.

3.0       Summary of Chapter Three

This chapter presents a detailed exposure of the silence of Western philosophers and their attempts to suppress Africans contribution to the discipline of philosophy. This is achieved through the promulgation of the progress theory and racial theory. These theories are aimed at destroying the ancient model of civilization. They are equally used to “dismiss as distasteful and offensive to the European ear the age-old biological and historical facts about Egyptian colonization, civilization and education of the Greeks”[9] while introducing new historical laws which credits the Greeks and Europeans as superior over Africans.

This chapter also presents us with evidence of eight different works published after Hegel’s Philosophy of History and History of Philosophy. These works were published between 1845 and 1963. In this publications could be seen elements of racism and a denial and suppression of Egyptian African influence on Greek philosophy and civilization. It is pertinent to note that these works by these authors are incoherent, contradictory and confused in their arguments.

4.0       An Appraisal of the three chapters

Africa is the cradle of philosophy. This is opposed to the commonly held view that philosophy started with Thales of Miletus in Ancient Greece. Western philosophers, anthropologist, historians and missionaries argue that Africans can not engage in rational thinking, which is an essential tool for philosophising. Thus, they have no philosophy. Consequently, philosophy never originated from Africa. This view by the Westerners is erroneous and incoherent. As deduced from the summary above, documented evidences are presented by renowned philosophers and historians. These evidences affirm that philosophy originated from Egypt in Africa (including Greek philosophy). Thales who is considered as the father of philosophy studied in Egypt under the Egyptian priests before migrating to Miletus.[10] It is also of interest to note that Aristotle affirms the facts that philosophy actually began in Egypt.[11]

According to the book, some Western philosophers suppressed African’s contribution to the discipline of philosophy. One of such is the German philosopher, Georg W. F. Hegel who made derogatory remarks about Africa and Africans. Hegel never set foot on Africa but relied on the testimonies of missionaries for his judgments. One of such disparaging and demeaning remark is made by Rev. W. N. Bentley who said

An African whether Negro or Bantu, does not think, reflect, or reason, if he can help it. He has a wonderful memory, has great powers of observation and initiation, much freedom of speech, and a very many good qualities; … but the reasoning and inventive faculties remain dormant. He readily grasps the present circumstances, adapts himself to them and provides for them; but a careful thought-out plan or a clear piece of induction is beyond him.[12]

We can deduce from the above quotation, elements of pure racism. Western philosophers, historians and missionaries are of the view that Africans cannot engage in rational thinking. This implies that they are superior to the African race. Thus, it is in their place to philosophize.

            This wrongly held view expressed above is refuted by the British historian Thomas Hodgkin who tags it invalid. He says

It is no doubt flattery to our vanity to imagine that the peoples of Africa were “primitive” and “barbarous” before penetration of the Europeans, and that it is we who have civilized them. But is a theory that lacks historical foundation …The thesis that Africa is what Western European missionaries, traders, technicians and administrators have made it is comforting (to Western Europeans) but invalid…[13]

Pertinent to note here is that Pythagoras spent twenty years studying in Egypt from the priests.[14] One cannot deny the fact that his period of study in Egypt actually influenced his ideologies. Contrariwise, Hegel claims that this period of study in Egypt never influenced him; by implication, he did not get his philosophy from Egypt and Egypt never had a philosophy. This position as we have seen is incoherent and ridiculous.

            Furthermore, Innocent Onyewuenyi asserts that the Egyptians were black people. He further states that the kingdom of Egypt was founded by Africans of Nubia, Sudan and Ethiopia. This he does by giving a brief chronological history of the Egyptian dynasty and rulers.[15] Herodotus affirms the skin colour of the Africans whom he actually visited.  He describes them as “The Colchians, Egyptians and Ethiopians have thick lips, broad noses, woolly hair and they are burnt of skin.”[16] We can infer from this that, the priest of the mystery system who were tutors to some Greek philosophers were black Africans. Thus, Africans were people that could think rationally, simply put, they were people that could philosophize; they had a philosophy.

            Again, it is relevant to note that Western world (Europeans) and its scholars see themselves superior to every other race in the world. Thus, displaying elements of pride which is evident in their attempt to suppress and reject the contribution of Africa to world civilization, precisely, to philosophy. Aristotle in his metaphysics, book one, on the concept of leisure as the prerequisite of philosophizing specifically mentions Egypt as the place where philosophy was founded.[17] Consequently, given the evidence of a distinguish Greek philosopher as Aristotle and every other evidences that has been presented in this book, European philosophers and scholars should be humble enough to affirm positively the contribution of Africa to word’s civilization and indeed to the discipline of philosophy.

            Having said all these, it is also pertinent to make the following contrary observations about Innocent Onyewuenyi’s book. It is relevant to raise the following questions: Can we really say that Africans have a philosophy? Can we ascribe the name philosophy to what the priest of the Egyptian Mystery System did? How much of documented evidence are available to ascertain this fact? These questions are often raised by Western philosophers and critics. Africans claim to have a philosophy which is devoid of documented evidence and works. According to the author, Georg W. F. Hegel the German philosopher who lived about the year 1770 – 1831 denied the Egyptian origin of Greek philosophy and civilization and even made derogatory statements about Africa and Africans.[18] Hegel’s position was never opposed until the emergence of formal African philosophy in 1970. And so, Africans could be addressed as a people that cannot engage in logical reasoning since it has taken them this long to respond to Hegel’s position. We can also, argue that, since the emergence of African philosophy, it has not really taken any real shape.

 Furthermore, Africans are considered as people who do not think, reflect or reason.[19] Thus, they cannot philosophize. This can be attributed to the ignorance of their self worth. The writer shares his experience about the ignorance on the skin colour of the Ancient Egyptians (which is black) of his students in Nigeria whom he teaches African philosophy. Again, African doctors are ignorant of the fact that the first physician of antiquity was the black Egyptian Imhotep who lived about 2980 BC. Imhotep lived two thousand years before Hippocrates who is considered as the father of medicine of whom African doctors swear an oath to and even display same in their offices. Hence, we can assert that Africans do not value their self worth and are ignorant of their history. Consequently, how can such a people engage in philosophy?

5.0       Recommendations.

Given the above, we shall make the following recommendations.

Despite Africa’s contribution to the discipline of philosophy, Western European scholars have made derogatory remarks about Africa and Africans as is evident in the preceding paragraphs. Thus, Africans should cultivate methods of counteraction against the false worship of Greek intellect.

            Furthermore, African philosophy should be unified and developed. Authentic African philosophy should be taught and upheld in secondary and tertiary institutions. This will result in building up of self worth in African students and will equip them to defend their African heritage and history among their Western counterparts.

It is also of importance that African philosophers and scholars delve into research on the African origin of Greek philosophy and on philosophy itself. They should publish books on Africans contribution to world civilization and to the discipline of philosophy. When this is achieved, the unexploited boundaries of African contribution to philosophy would have been discovered.

Conclusion

We began with a summary of the three chapters followed by an appraisal. We further made some recommendations on the book in view.

From the foregoing, philosophy as we have seen originated from Ancient Egyptian kingdom. Thales, Pythagoras and other Western philosophers studied under the priest - philosophers of the Egyptians mystery system. Thus, we assert that they derived their ideas of philosophising from Africa. Hence, Africa should be accorded that respect and honour. Consequently, Africa has a philosophy and can engage in logical reasoning. This is opposed to the debasing views held by some Western scholars and philosophers. In fact, the contribution of Africa to the word’s civilization and to the discipline of philosophy cannot be overemphasized.

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[1] Innocent C. Onyewuenyi, The African origin of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism (Nsukka: University of Nigeria Press, 1993), p. 21.

[2] Cf. Ibid.

[3] Ibid., p. 36.

[4] Ibid., p. 39.

[5] Ibid., p. 43.

[6] Ibid., p. 46.

[7] Ibid., p. 51.

[8] Ibid., pp. 77-78.

[9] Ibid., p. 88.

[10] Cf. Ibid., p. 43.

[11] Cf. Ibid., p. 46.

[12] W. N. Bentley, pioneering on the Congo  (New York: AM Press Inc., 1978), pp. 27-28, quoted in Innocent Onyewuenyi, The African Origin of Greeek Philosphy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism (Nsukka: University of Nigeria Press, 1993), p. 94.

[13] Thomas Hodgkin, National Movement in West Africa. The Highway (February, 1952), p. 169-170, quoted in Innocent Onyewuenyi, The African Origin of Greeek Philosphy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism (Nsukka: University of Nigeria Press, 1993), p. 99.

[14] Cf. I. Onyewuanyi, op.cit., p. 102.

[15] Cf. Ibid., p. 58.

[16] Herodotus, Histories II, trans. George Rawlinson (New York: Tudor Publishing, 1956), p. 124, quoted in Innocent Onyewuenyi, The African Origin of Greeek Philosphy: An Exercise in Afrocentrism (Nsukka: University of Nigeria Press, 1993), p. 68.

[17] Cf. I. Onyewuanyi, op.cit., p. 113.

[18] Cf. Ibid., p. 93-94.

[19] Cf. Ibid., p. 94.