Henry Odera Oruka

Henry Odera Oruka (1 June 1944 – 9 December 1995) was a Kenyan philosopher and professor at the University of Nairobi. He was one of the pioneers of modern African philosophy and is best known for developing the concept of Sage Philosophy, a project that documented the philosophical reflections of indigenous African sages and challenged the view that philosophy exists only in literate traditions. Quotes "Sage philosophy is the expressed thoughts of wise men and women in any given community, and is a way of thinking and explaining the world that fluctuates between popular wisdom and didactic wisdom." Sage Philosophy: Indigenous Thinkers and Modern Debate on African Philosophy (Brill, 1990). Henry Odera Oruka defining the concept of Sage Philosophy. "A philosophic sage is a person who is wise and also demonstrates the wisdom by critical, second-order thinking about the accepted customs, beliefs and traditions of his people." Sage Philosophy (1990). Henry Odera Oruka distinguishing philosophic sages from custodians of traditional wisdom. "The basic minimum is not a luxury or a bonus — it is a right, and its denial is not merely unfortunate but unjust." Practical Philosophy: In Search of an Ethical Minimum (1997). Henry Odera Oruka discussing the ethical minimum owed to every human being. "There are in Africa men and women of great wisdom. The fact that their wisdom is not written down does not make it less philosophical—it makes it harder to recover, and this recovery is the task of sage philosophy." Sage Philosophy (1990). Henry Odera Oruka discussing the importance of preserving indigenous African philosophical thought. 4 External links