Abstract
The narrative of an exclusive and self-sufficient civilisation emerging out of itself uninfluenced by other outside cultures and traditions is unhistorical. Taking the exclusionary history of philosophy as its point of departure, this essay reflects on the future of philosophy based on the realities of our global interconnectedness. To speak of philosophy in the global age is to reimagine the product and process of philosophising in a world defined not by hegemony but by mutual collaboration and understanding in ‘the conversation of humankind.’ Intercultural philosophy opens a unique opportunity within which to understand each other as human beings in the world. The imperative today is not simply to analyse the logic behind the parochial history of philosophy but to learn from the mistakes of that history and to transcend them. If by philosophy we imply the love of wisdom, which is by nature universal, then true philosophy cannot avoid dialogue cross cultures. In this essay, I submit that philosophy must depart from its tainted past as an instrument in the service of domination and reconstitute itself truly as an enterprise in the service of humanity.
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Notes
- 1.
This phrase is taken from the following webpage http://philbild.univie.ac.at/en/research/ Faculty of Philosophy and Education, University of Vienna. Accessed 27 January 2020.
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Mungwini, P. (2022). Philosophy in the Global Age: Towards the Conversation of Humankind. In: Graneß, A., Etieyibo, E., Gmainer-Pranzl, F. (eds) African Philosophy in an Intercultural Perspective. Reihe Interkulturelle Philosophie. J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-05832-4_13
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