Oriare Nyarwath

The Status of Oral Traditions in the History of Philosophy: Methodological Considerations

7.-9. September 2023, Universität Hildesheim

Oriane Nyarwath

Examining the Relationship between Philosophy and Orality in African Philosophy

In this paper, I address two basic issues; the relationship between philosophy and its mode of transmission or communication, be it through oral or written transmission. The second issue is the very meaning of philosophy. Philosophy is essentially a way of looking at reality in a deeper and wider sense; that is, in understanding reality in a profound way as well as a search for ideals for which an individual or society live. Therefore, philosophy is both individual and social/historical. The philosophy of a group of people or region is necessarily historical. It is a history of philosophical discourse of a people. Apart from philosophy being a mental activity, it is also seen as a body of knowledge or texts resulting from such mental activity, which is stored and transmitted orally or through writing. However, philosophy as history in oral tradition raises the issues related to accuracy, details, and ownership. Orality tends to focus more on and limit itself to the essential content, and therefore loses on much of the details. So, the paper argues that regardless of the methodological issues related to the oral transmission of philosophy, as history, philosophy retains its essential content. The paper then concludes that despite methodological issues that may be raised by oral tradition in philosophy, some of which appears to be inherent in the very nature of orality, the essential philosophical contents are preserved and transmitted.

Oriane Nyarwath is Senior Lecturer and Associate Editor of Thought and Practice at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Nairobi. His publications include Rethinking Sage Philosophy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on and Beyond H. Odera Oruka (edited by K. Kresse and O. Nyarwath, 2022), "Ubuntu and Oruka’s humanitarian view of punishment" (in Ubuntu and the Reconstitution of Community, 2019), "Understanding Social Freedom and Humanism in Odera Oruka’s Philosophy" (in Thought and Practice 2012).