Key Terms
Indigenous philosophy
The ideas of Indigenous peoples about the nature of the world, human existence, ethics, and ideal social and political s
Ethnophilosophy
The study of Indigenous philosophies.
Research methods differ
Instead of reading texts, scholars interview knowledge holders, record conversations, analyze proverbs, art, and music.
Additional challenges
Colonization erased lives and cultural heritage; forced education in foreign languages disrupted transmission; deliberat
John Mbiti and Alexis Kagame
Later scholars who critiqued Tempels as somewhat inventive; conducted more rigorous analysis of African proverbs, storie
Key distinction
Socrates held a binary metaphysical view — matter and ideas are separate; the eternal and the physical are distinct. Oru
Goal
Demonstrate that philosophy is not exclusive to the literate world. Findings published 1990.
Knowledge transmitted through oral tradition
Rituals, ceremonies, songs, stories, dance.
Pueblo
"transformative model of identity" — social identity spirals outward and inward through expanding and retracting influen
Calendar
Tracked multiple cycles simultaneously including the solar year and the "calendar round" (52 years). Astronomical events
Maya concept of time
Recognized an experiential aspect — disinterest or concentration can elongate or shorten time. "Awe" was considered espe
Teotl
The Aztec concept of a single amoral divine force underlying all reality.
Aztec epistemology
Truth as "well-rootedness." To know something is not to hold a correct belief — it is to be well-grounded in reality. Be
Upanishads
Hindu texts containing the philosophical core of Hinduism.
Core metaphysical idea
Reflection on the self leads to understanding the cosmos. The self and the universe share the same structure.