Yoruba Moral Epistemology

Hallen, Barry

doi:10.1002/9780470997154.ch22

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Hence, having knowledge of other persons' moral character (ìwà) -their honesty, their reliability as a source of information, etc., becomes a fundamental criterion for evaluating the reliability of second-hand information (Hallen, 2000(Hallen, , 2003(Hallen, , 2004). Hallen's moral epistemology is basically a search for epistemic certainty, or systematic avoidance of error in ascribing òótọ (truth) to false pieces of second-hand information.…”

Section: Peer Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obscuring Our Sense of Morality: Barry Hallen’s Yoruba Moral Epistemology and the Problem of Character Indeterminacy

Balogun,

Ajiboro

2024

The Thinker

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Barry Hallen’s critical engagements with the African (Yoruba) philosophical scholarship have earned him a place among Africanintellectual giants of the 20th century. Among his diverse contributions to African philosophical discourse is his Yoruba moral epistemology thesis. Built on his canonical distinction between knowledge (ìmọ) and belief (ìgbàgbọ) within the Yoruba linguistic framework, the Yoruba moral epistemology thesis suggests that knowledge of human character could be modelled alongsidea similar pathway with knowledge of other propositional items where knowledge claims are made based on evidence obtained via first-hand information. Using Yoruba ethnological/linguistic resources as a methodological standpoint, our critique of Hallen’s Yoruba moral epistemology is primarily motivated by three fundamental observations: a. that the acclaimed distinction between ìmọ and ìgbàgbọ on which the thesis is based, is faulty; b. that the thesis does not agree to a certain conception of personhood within theYoruba metaphysical worldview; and c. that the behaviourist implications engendered by Hallen’s Yoruba moral epistemology do not adequately represent the deeply spiritual essence of human conducts in Yoruba ethical system. We conclude that, although it is flawed, Hallen’s Yoruba moral epistemology thesis is an important contribution to African philosophy as it stimulates fruitful discussions around the subject matters of epistemology and ethics, and the connection between them within a traditional intellectualdiscourse of the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria.

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Section: Peer Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obscuring Our Sense of Morality: Barry Hallen’s Yoruba Moral Epistemology and the Problem of Character Indeterminacy

Balogun,

Ajiboro

2024

The Thinker

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“…He here again seems to side with a demanding version of internalism where access to the reliability of the interlocutor is required: "the moral character of the informant becomes an important criterion of its reliability [i.e. the information]" (Hallen 2006, 5; see also Hallen 1998;2000;2004). 18 That is, the recipient needs to access the reliability via the moral character of the interlocutor before she can become justified in her testimonial belief.…”

Section: Hallen and Sodipo On Yoruba Epistemic Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hallen remarks on an extensive quote that the onisegun "argue[s] for understanding and intellect providing the basis for knowledge" (Hallen 2000, 101). 26 Kalumba treats this alleged counterexample as an instance of inference, as does Hallen (2000;2004). to verificationism and, at least in the case of moral virtue, infallibilism as well, since such verdicts will be fallible.…”

Section: The Accuracy Of the Account Of Yoruba Testimonymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their groundbreaking book Knowledge, Belief and Witchcraft. Analytic Experiments in African Philosophy (1997), 1 as well as in ensuing publications by Hallen alone (1998;2000;2004;2006), Hallen and Sodipo conduct what would today be classified as experimental philosophy by engaging in dialogues with Yoruba herbalists (onisegun). 2 Their discussions centre around the three notions of knowledge, belief and witchcraft.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testimony in African epistemology revisited

Janvid

2021

South African Journal of Philosophy

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This article addresses important epistemological issues raised by Barry Hallen and J. Olubi Sodipo's pioneering philosophical fieldwork among Yoruba herbalists or masters of medicine (onisegun). More precisely, I shall primarily investigate, as well as object to, the unduly restrictive view they take on testimony in Yoruba epistemic practice. With this criticism as the starting point, but still based on the cases Hallen and Sodipo provide, I explore different ways in which an "oral culture" like Yoruba (as traditionally depicted) can rely on testimony as a source of justification without succumbing to the gullible and uncritical attitude towards tradition such societies have been charged with. To this purpose, I put to use relevant developments in analytic epistemology taking place after Hallen and Sodipo published their work. Janvid 280

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“…The continued denigration and sidelines of African-oriented epistemology in contemporary academic considerations in Africa is consequent from a long history of racial debasement of the humanity and rationality of Africans as well as the historical Western superiority complex (Ani 2013). In the context of the colonial relationship between Africa and the West, African epistemology was degradingly deemed irrational and unscientific because it was allegedly opined to be muddled with emotions, religious beliefs, intuitions and myths (Hallen 2004;Laleye 2002;Mawere 2014a, b). The superiority complex of Western colonial powers meant that they were unwilling to find meaning in the ideas, values and systems that run athwart to theirs.…”

Section: Heritage Resilience and Civilizations Of Societiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa

Mawere¹

2015

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where he has also worked in different capacities as a Senior lecturer, Assistant Research Director, Postgraduate Coordinator and Associate Professor. He has an outstanding publishing record of more than one hundred pieces of work which include more than twenty books and over eighty book chapters and papers in scholarly journals. His research interests include, but not limited to, development and knowledge studies, political anthropology, science and technology studies, environmental issues, African studies, coloniality, decoloniality, post-coloniality, African political systems, culture and heritage studies.

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Yoruba Moral Epistemology

Cited by 5 publications

References 2 publications

Obscuring Our Sense of Morality: Barry Hallen’s Yoruba Moral Epistemology and the Problem of Character Indeterminacy

Obscuring Our Sense of Morality: Barry Hallen’s Yoruba Moral Epistemology and the Problem of Character Indeterminacy

Testimony in African epistemology revisited

Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa

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