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Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy
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2021
Summary
Partiality and Impartiality in African Philosophy fills the lacuna in African philosophy literature on the inherent tension between requirements of partiality (favoritism) and impartiality (equality). Motsamai Molefe deploys two strategies to philosophically resolve the tension between partiality and impartiality. The first strategy involves applying the moral theories of Kwasi Wiredu, Thaddeus Metz, and Kwame Gyekye to the problem. Finding their views useful in some ways and seriously limited in others, Molefe turns to the second strategy in which he invokes the salient normative concept of personhood in African cultures. Molefe argues that the concept of personhood adjoins theories of human dignity and moral perfection (virtue). The major insight that emerges is a robust ethical theory qua personhood that accommodates both partiality and impartiality. He grounds requirements of impartiality on human dignity, which operates largely as a macro-ethical concept that normatively informs the character of our social institutions (politics). Politics is characterized by fairness, equality, and impartiality. Partiality (the agent-and-other-centred forms of it) is directly connected with the agent’s chief moral duty to achieve her own virtue (moral perfection), which operates as a micro-ethical concept. These two kinds of moral partialism, self-favoritism and close ties such as family, are justified by appeal to the project's view, instead of the individuals-and-relationships view typically invoked to justify moral partiality in the literature.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2021
ISBN-Print
978-1-4985-9943-6
ISBN-Online
978-1-4985-9944-3
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
168
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Foreword No access
Preface No access
Acknowledgements No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 12
Kwasi Wiredu on Partiality and Impartiality No access Pages 13 - 34
Partiality and Impartiality in Thaddeus Metz’s Moral Philosophy No access Pages 35 - 58
Kwame Gyekye’s Moral Philosophy on Partiality and Impartiality No access Pages 59 - 78
Highlighting Major Themes No access Pages 79 - 88
Personhood and Morality in African Philosophy No access Pages 89 - 114
