Dites bonjour à Wiredu (1931— ) Kwasi Wiredu is a philosopher from Ghana, who has for decades been involved with a project he terms “conceptual decolonization” in contemporary African systems of thought. By conceptual decolonization, Wiredu advocates a re-examination of current African epistemic formations in order to accomplish two aims. D'abord, he wishes to subvert unsavory aspects of tribal culture embedded in modern African thought so as to

Predicative and Impredicative Definitions The distinction between predicative and impredicative definitions is today widely regarded as an important watershed in logic and the philosophy of mathematics. A definition is said to be impredicative if it generalizes over a totality to which the entity being defined belongs. Otherwise the definition is said to be predicative. In the examples below, (2) et (4) are impredicative. Let π be

Libertarianism What it means to be a “libertarian” in a political sense is a contentious issue, especially among libertarians themselves. There is no single theory that can be safely identified as the libertarian theory, and probably no single principle or set of principles on which all libertarians can agree. Néanmoins, there is a certain family resemblance among libertarian theories that can serve as a framework

Plotin (204-270 de notre ère) Plotin est considéré comme le fondateur du néoplatonisme. S'inspirant de sa lecture de Platon, Plotin a développé une cosmologie spirituelle complexe impliquant trois éléments fondamentaux: l'Un, le renseignement, et l'âme. C'est de l'unité productive de ces trois Êtres qu'émane toute existence., selon Plotin. Le principe de l'émanation n'est pas simplement causal, mais aussi contemplatif.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803—1882) In his lifetime, Ralph Waldo Emerson became the most widely known man of letters in America, establishing himself as a prolific poet, essayiste, popular lecturer, and an advocate of social reforms who was nevertheless suspicious of reform and reformers. Emerson achieved some reputation with his verse, corresponded with many of the leading intellectual and artistic figures of his day, and during

Jean Paul Sartre: Existentialism The philosophical career of Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) focuses, in its first phase, upon the construction of a philosophy of existence known as existentialism. Sartre’s early works are characterized by a development of classic phenomenology, but his reflection diverges from Husserl’s on methodology, the conception of the self, and an interest in ethics. These points of divergence are the cornerstones of