Q0639

“Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The be-ing of an African…” — Mogobe B. Ramose (African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999))

Verified English quotation. Primary source: African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999). Theme: humanity.

English

Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The be-ing of an African in the universe is inseparably anchored upon ubuntu. … Ubuntu then is the wellspring flowing with African ontology and epistemology.
Thinker Mogobe B. Ramose
School Africana Philosophy
Source African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999)
Theme Humanity
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999) 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 Mogobe B. Ramose

Mogobe B. Ramose (b.

How to read this passage

Philosophers ask what makes humans distinctive, what we owe one another as humans, and how “humanity” can include or exclude. This passage enters that discussion through humanity, being, knowledge.

Concepts in this quote

Humanity
Humanity names both the species and the moral quality of being humane—bridging anthropology and ethics.
Being
Being appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat being as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
Knowledge
Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Mogobe B. Ramose. (n.d.). Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The be-ing of an African in the universe is inseparably anchored upon ubuntu. … Ubuntu then is the wellspring flowing with African ontology and epistemology. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0639

MLA: Mogobe B. Ramose. “Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0639.

Chicago: Mogobe B. Ramose. “Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0639.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “Ubuntu is the root of African philosophy. The…”?

The passage is attributed to Mogobe B. Ramose, African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999). The archive attributes this English wording to African Philosophy Through Ubuntu (1999) 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 Mogobe B. Ramose mean by humanity?

Philosophers ask what makes humans distinctive, what we owe one another as humans, and how “humanity” can include or exclude. This passage enters that discussion through humanity, being, knowledge.

Same thinker

More from Mogobe B. Ramose

  1. In spite of decolonisation, the philosophical character of European standpoint on colonisation together with its corresponding practices remains unchanged in its relations with the erstwhile colonies. It is precisely this condition which calls for the need for the authentic liberation of Africa.
  2. Ubuntu is the principle that we act humanely and with respect towards others as a way of demanding the same from them.
  3. To be a human being is to affirm one's humanity by recognising the humanity of others and, on that basis, establish humane relations with them.

All quotations by Mogobe B. Ramose

Same theme

More on humanity

  1. Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never merely as a means.
  2. Man is a sacred thing to man.
  3. There are more things to admire in men than to despise.
  4. In choosing himself, man chooses all men.
  5. Sincerity is the Way of Heaven; making oneself sincere is the way of human beings.

Browse the humanity theme