NATURE AND FUNCTION OF LOGIC IN AFRICAN EPISTEMOLOGY

Résumé

In philosophy, Western or African, logic and epistemology are very fundamental. They constitute the major branches of philosophy. They are concerned with the object and method of human knowledge. Remove knowledge, human life would be meaningless; any neglect on logic makes a particular claim to knowledge questionable and difficult for general acceptance. One thing to note is that without logic in epistemology, true or valid knowledge may not be attained. Every society has its own stock of epistemological thoughts, methods and world views. Since the quest for knowledge is part of human nature, there is no culture or tradition that is devoid of this essential quality. The African also has his own method or means of acquiring knowledge. The question now is: How logical are these African modes of acquiring knowledge? Put in another way: What is the role of logic in the African way of acquiring knowledge? The attempt to answer this question is the concern of this paper.