Philosophy-In-Place And The Provenance Of Dialogue

Abstract

Dialogue, as a concept, is often seen as both central to and a prerequisite for philosophical understanding, especially across cultural divides. I wish to reposition dialogue from being a force for unity and transcendence, to being a force for distinction and immanence. This creative tension is possible only when one takes a place-based approach to philosophy, that is, when one recognises that concepts have their own provenance, a provenance which was defined and developed as questions were raised in an environment of productive inter-traditional tension. Philosophical traditions are constructed as they (to use Deleuze and Guattari's terms) deterritorialise and reterritorialise thought, that is, as they transform concepts into usable markers of philosophical life. I will resist the impulse to move to the meta-level of conversation, which serves only to obscure the productive tension between traditions. Attending to the place of philosophy, on the other hand, makes possible both a more thorough self-critical attitude, and the possibility of a productive encounter with philosophy- in-place. African philosophy, I will argue, provides a useful and instructive space in which to rethink dialogue. If we focus on the differences between traditions (what I will term 'thought-lives'), we will make dialogue productive, rather than regarding it as just a prior condition to reason or as a liberal ideal.

Publication Date

10-2-2015

Publication Title

South African Journal of Philosophy

Volume

34

Issue

4

Number of Pages

480-490

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2015.1105507

Socpus ID

84952771914 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84952771914

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