CULTURE AS THE FOUNDATION OF PHILOSOPHY: A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THEOPHILUS OKERE'S HERMENEUTICAL APPROACH TO AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY

Abstract

The major contribution of Theophilus Okere to African philosophy centres on the issue of method. He believed that every philosophy stems from a cultural context and uses the elements of that culture as its raw material. It is by extracting meaning from culture that philosophy creates understanding. So, the originality and credibility of African philosophy rests on its ability to make meaning out of Africa's unique experience. However, one precondition for the successful execution of this philosophical enterprise is the establishment of its correct methodology. So long as culture (which Okere calls 'non-philosophy) remains the raw material for philosophy, hermeneutics – the science of interpretation – becomes the only viable method for the philosophical enterprise. The paper explores how Okere used the hermeneutics of these philosophers to extrapolate philosophical propositions from the deposits of culture, especially with respect to cultural symbols which embody meanings for people's existential experiences within a culture. The paper is however critical of Okere's philosophy on three points: and finally commends him for raising the consciousness of Africans to appreciate their culture more deeply.