Quotation
Last reviewed:
Before you accept a philosophical concept that came through a colonial language, state it in your own and see whether it still makes sense.
Kwasi Wiredu · African analytic philosophy · Modern · 1996
What does it mean?
A concept can feel inevitable only because of the language it arrived in.
Did Kwasi Wiredu really say this?
The library’s label is Summary. A restatement of his programme, not his sentence.
Where it comes from
Cultural Universals and Particulars (1996), 'Conceptual decolonization', summary
Approximate date: 1996.
How to use it
A word that works in one language may hide a choice in another. Translating it is a test.
A mindset reading
Ask of any big idea: does it still say something when I put it in plain words of my own?
Understand the philosophy
He tried this with Akan and found some Western puzzles about mind and being did not arise in the same way.
- knowledge
- mind
FAQ
What does it mean?
A concept can feel inevitable only because of the language it arrived in.
Did Kwasi Wiredu really say this?
Summary. A restatement of his programme, not his sentence.
Which work is it in?
Cultural Universals and Particulars (1996), 'Conceptual decolonization', summary Approximate date: 1996.