Shirima , Valerian (1987) African Socialism: Or the Quest for a Societal Philosophy. PhD thesis, Université Catholique De Louvain Institut Supérieur de Philosophie.
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PDF (African Socialism: Or the Quest for a Societal Philosophy - TOME 3)
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Abstract
The history of man could be said to be the history of freedom. It is first a history of constrained freedom, constrained by necessity before it becomes that freedom which by thinking this necessity transcends, uses it for superior ends. That is how J. Nabert would see the history of man. Freedom appears to be the goal of human existence. In a greater or smaller degree all men struggle for freedom. In this struggle some will explicitly struggle for freedom, while others will only implicityly do so. Why did the first man to make a tool, did so if not to gain some amount of freedom? He wanted the skin of a certain animal, since the animal wouldn't willingly offer it, he was obliged to attack that animal and have what he wanted. The skin gave him a certain autonomy, freedom from the aggressive surroundings. That was only a step, for as time went on he discovered, in this necessity bound existence, that it was therein that lay his freedom. He had to use this necessity and use it in his favour if he were to achieve higher goals. Necessity became the goading fly to freedom. Once certain demands of existence were satisfied, man didn't relapse into animal existence, he undertook different activities not out of necessity but out of choice. There was no necessity for him to become an artist, a poet or ask himself the meaning of his very existence. The use of necessity for higher goals was not always respected. Having gained certain autdnomy, from time to time would he fall back to animal existence, eating and reproducing like all other animals and no more. Yet that very existence would serve him once more to make another attempt to rise up. The chequerred history of man is punctuated by failures and successes for freedom. Neither can we say that, that history is universally homogenous. Some societies have made a step which situates them a little ahead on the road to supreme ends, while others are a little behind. Nevertheless, for both societies the aim seems to be the same, more freedom and supreme ends. Every human society, therefore, without an exception struggles in the realm of necessity and through necessity for a supreme end.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Socialism, Principles, Kenya's Socialism, Senegals Theory of Socialism, Zambian Humanism, Tanzania's Theory of Socialism, Ujamaa, Education, New and Old for Liberation, Societal Arrangement, |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics |
| Divisions: | Africana Jesuitica |
| Depositing User: | JHI Africa |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Apr 2014 11:01 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Mar 2018 12:22 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/48 |
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