African Philosophers of Science and History in the 19th Century
The Struggle for Progress
African Philosophers of Science and History in the 19th Century
The Struggle for Progress
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Description
The first comprehensive study of how two influential 19th-century African philosophers-Rifa'a al-Tahtawi and James Africanus Beale Horton-shaped major debates on modernity.
This book shows the extent that African philosophers engaged seriously and approvingly with questions of scientific modernity. Zeyad el Nabolsy rejects the label of “mental colonization” and presents a comparative study of the views its two central figures on progress, history, scientific method, and race. We see how Horton and Tahtawi actively used modern science to rethink history, challenge racialist anthropology, and envision modern futures for West Africa and Egypt.
El Nabolsy explains why it is a mistake to frame the study of the history of African philosophy as primarily aimed at the study of a fundamentally different philosophical orientation. He argues both Tahtawi and Horton had good reasons for holding views such as the universal validity of modern scientific knowledge. He shows us why they believed the possibility of a truly universal philosophy of history centred on the belief in progress, severed from its historical association with colonialism and racism.
This expansive and inclusive understanding of philosophical history is critical for a more accurate understanding of African philosophical reasoning. By showing how to integrate North African philosophy into our histories of philosophy, el Nabolsy helps illuminate contemporary debates around race, literacy, and religion.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Horton and the African Appropriation of Victorian Science
1.1 Horton in Context
1.2 The Counter Revolution in Victorian Anthropology
1.3 Robert Knox's Racialist Philosophy of History
1.4 James Hunt and the Anthropological Society of London
1.5 Horton and the Anthropological Threat to Missionary Education
1.6 Horton's Deployment of Baconianism as an anti-Racist Philosophy of Science
1.7 Horton, Darwinism, and the Explanatory Limits of Race
Chapter 2: Tahtawi's Reception of Modern Science
2.1 The Use and Abuse of the Decline Narrative
2.2 Tahtawi on the 'Rational Sciences' in Egypt
2.3 Tahtawi and the Fate of Aristotle's Categories
2.4 Tahtawi on Copernican Astronomy and the Problem of Instrumentalism
2.5 Tahtawi and the Debate about Modern Science
Chapter 3: Horton's Non-Racialist Philosophy of History
3.1 Horton on Progress in Human History
3.2 The Ancient World and the Historicity of Racism
3.3 Perfectibility and Inter-Societal Contact
3.4 Horton and the Debate about Mental Colonization
3.5 Horton's Critique of Slavery and Proposal for a West African Reconstruction
3.6 The Fante Confederation and the Struggle against Feudalism
3.7 Horton and the Problem of 'Africanity' in Contemporary African Philosophy
Chapter 4: Tahtawi's Neo-Khaldunian Philosophy of History
4.1 Napoleon's Invasion and the Intellectual Crisis in Egypt
4.2 Tahtawi on Work and Education
4.3 Tahtawi on Equality and Citizenship
4.4 Freedom and Inter-Societal Contact
4.5 Tahtawi's Ranking of Human Societies
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Product details
| Published | Jan 21 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781350636095 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Series | Bloomsbury Studies in World Philosophies |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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