Foundations of an African ethic : beyond the universal claims of western morality

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Title:

Author:

Bujo, Bénézet.

ISBN:

9780824519056

Personal Author:

Bujo, Bénézet.

Uniform Title:

Wider den Universalanspruch westlicher Moral. English

Publication Information:

New York : Crossroad Pub., c2001.

Physical Description:

xvii, 214 p. ; 24 cm.

General Note:

"A Herder and Herder book."

Contents:

Pt. 1. Fundamental Questions of African Ethics -- 1. Starting Point and Anthropology -- The Problem of the cognatus sum -- Questioning Natural-Law Thinking -- Virtue and Morality -- 2. Ethics and Anamnesis -- The Significance of Praxis and Poiesis for Ethical Conduct -- The Palaver between Communitarianism and Discourse Ethics -- Pt. 2. Identity and the Understanding of Freedom -- 1. Western Christian Ethics and African Anthropology -- Individual Responsibility in "Autonomous" Moral Theology -- Individual Responsibility in African Ethics -- 2. Sin and Freedom of Conscience -- Sin and Conscience in Classic Catholic Moral Theology -- Sin and Conscience in the African Context -- 3. Critical Observation: The Challenge of Inculturation -- Community and Structural Sin -- The Magisterium and the Authority of the Palaver.

Abstract:

"In this book, Benezet Bujo offers a critique of Western ethics and lays the theoretical groundwork for a new African ethic. By drawing on themes from African life such as marriage, therapy, and art, Bujo exposes the shortcomings of the philosophical anthropology implicit in Western ethics, comparing Western theories of natural law, discourse ethics, and communitarianism with the African emphasis on community and remembrance. He then considers whether African ethics can account for central Western values such as autonomy, freedom, and individual identity. Finally he considers how African ethics both challenges the church and contributes to its richness, suggesting that an African palaver ethic can integrate the best features of communitarianism and discourse ethics.

This contribution to African theology will be of special interest to students of religion, comparative and non-Western philosophy, anthropology, and African studies, as well as anyone interested in contemporary ethics."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject Term:

Ethics -- Africa.

Christian ethics.

Ethics, Comparative.

Electronic Access:

Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy032/2001000504.html

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025408838	170.96 B932F 2001	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In this groundbreaking book, Bénézet Bujo, a leading voice in African Christian theology, offers an informed critique of Western ethics and lays the theoretical groundwork for a new African ethic. By skillfully drawing on themes from African life such as marriage, therapy, and art, Bujo exposes the shortcomings of the philosophical anthropology implicit in Western ethics, comparing Western theories of natural law, discourse ethics, and communitarianism with the African emphasis on community and remembrance. He then considers whether African ethics can account for central Western values such as autonomy, freedom, and individual identity. Finally, he considers how African ethics both challenges the Church and contributes to its richness, suggesting that an African palaver ethic can integrate the best features of communitarianism and discourse ethics. This timely contribution to African theology will be of special interest to students of religion, comparative and non-Western philosophy, anthropology, and African studies, as well as those intrigued by ongoing debates about universal ethical norms.