Q0603
“On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through a critical conceptual self-awareness…” — Kwasi Wiredu ("The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: "The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy" (1995). Theme: method.
English
On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through a critical conceptual self-awareness the unexamined assimilation in our thought of the conceptual frameworks embedded in the foreign philosophical traditions that have had an impact on African life and thought. And, on the positive side, exploiting as much as is judicious the resources of our own indigenous conceptual schemes in our philosophical meditations.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to "The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy" (1995) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Kwasi Wiredu
Kwasi Wiredu (1931–2022) was a Ghanaian philosopher trained in Accra and at Oxford under P. F.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably William of Ockham and Kwasi Wiredu), method is framed through Africana Philosophy and Scholasticism. Some passages define method; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through method, reason.
Concepts in this quote
- Method
- Method appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat method as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Reason
- Reason is the capacity to give and assess reasons—central to logic, science, ethics, and public argument.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Kwasi Wiredu. (n.d.). On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through a critical conceptual self-awareness the unexamined assimilation in our thought of the conceptual frameworks embedded in the foreign philosophical traditions that have had an impact on African life and thought. And, on the positive side, exploiting as much as is judicious the resources of our own indigenous conceptual schemes in our philosophical meditations. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0603
MLA: Kwasi Wiredu. “On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0603.
Chicago: Kwasi Wiredu. “On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0603.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “On the negative side, avoiding or reversing through…”?
The passage is attributed to Kwasi Wiredu, "The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy" (1995). The archive attributes this English wording to "The Need for Conceptual Decolonization in African Philosophy" (1995) and files it under Africana Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Kwasi Wiredu mean by method?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably William of Ockham and Kwasi Wiredu), method is framed through Africana Philosophy and Scholasticism. Some passages define method; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through method, reason.