Philosophy and Poetry: Where is the Frontier?
Lecture by Tanella Boni (Houphouët-Boigny University)
January 23, 2025, 6 p.m.
Universität Hildesheim, Hörsaal 2 and Live-Stream
Lecture Series: What is Philosophy? A Critical Polylogue with Philosophers from Africa
Abstract
We don’t know where philosophy begins or ends. Nor do we know the boundaries of poetry—its limits or the threats it faces. Yet we can start with the hypothesis that these two approaches to the self and the world share two things in common: on the one hand, a focus on language; on the other, a quest for meaning. Once we accept this premise, the difficulties begin.
As far as I’m concerned, philosophy is not primarily a matter of abstraction, which is why I prefer to use the verb to philosophize. We philosophize with what we know—or do not know. Historical experience, whether collective or individual (colonization, domination, violence and exclusion, injustice, exile…), plays a crucial role in shaping the way we ask philosophical questions. Moreover, the academic, intellectual, or cultural environment in which we live influences the way we philosophize.
To poetize is to be uncomfortable with the reality in which we live. What does that mean? To poetize is not to know, as Plato said. If poetizing is not knowing, then what can the poem achieve, and what place does it hold in the philosophical process?
I will draw on my own experience as a practitioner navigating between poetizing and philosophizing. I will also quote from a number of texts (Plato, Descartes, Hegel, Hugo, Senghor, Glissant…) to explore not only the relationship between philosophizing and poetizing, but also Africa’s place on the chessboard of thought.
Short Bio
Tanella Boni is a philosopher, poet, novelist, literary critic, and art critic. She is a Professor of Philosophy at Houphouët-Boigny University (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) and a member of ASCAD (Academy of Sciences, Arts, African Cultures, and the African Diasporas). She pursued her higher education in France, studying in Toulouse and at Paris-IV Sorbonne, where she defended two theses in philosophy (ancient philosophy). For many years, she taught the history of Western philosophy in her home country.
Boni was a member of the Collège International de Philosophie (1992–1998), Vice-President of the CIPSH (International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences) (2002–2006), a member of the Steering Committee of FISP (International Federation of Philosophical Societies) (2008–2024), and a member of the International Institute of Philosophy (IIP). Her areas of interest include the history of philosophy, feminist philosophy, philosophy and literature, philosophy and the arts, and ethics. For several years now, she has been working on the notion of “inhabiting” (Habiter).
The relationship between philosophy and poetry is central to her work. She is the author of essays, novels, books for young readers, and around fifteen collections of poetry. She is also the organizer of Poeticales, a poetry festival in Abidjan. Some of her articles are available online on the Diogenes Journal website and Africultures. Her latest publication is “The Sustainable and the Unsustainable: What is a Habitable Planet”.
