Feature Article of Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Columnist: Kwarteng, Francis

Clearly, scholars as well as well-informed lay proponents of sociology of knowledge, Afrocentric theory, and relativism have long discredited or disallowed intromission of cultural and epistemological universals into their systematized enterprise of scientific hypothesizing and theorizing. However we may want to put it, even Eurocentrism vigorously rejects any formalized epistemological imputation to relativism except, perhaps, its self-promotional investiture in the emotional realm of carefully-crafted perspectival, if universalist, exclusivism, sort of taking a steep psychocultural dive into an ideological ocean of epistemological and cultural universalism. Importantly, Eurocentrism mischievously ingratiates itself into human consciousness as though it represents an ideological heliocentrism of collective human wisdom as well as the pinnacle of cultural and intellectual excellence. In fact, the analytic weight of historical facts doesnt always angle these self-serving epistemological attributes toward the cultural West.

Quite often, as is the case with white supremacy, Eurocentrism, on the other hand, essentially embraces positivism, if we may arguably put it at that, while, on the other hand, keeps intuitive and introspective knowledge at investigational arms length. Yet these forms of knowledge may assume the same cultural plinth of intellectual affirmation as the evidence of empiricism and rationalism. Alternatively, we hold the opinion that, in theory, intuitive and introspective knowledge, strictly evaluated from an African perspective, does not, of necessity, subscribe to the imperial majesty of Eurocentric scientism. Meanwhile, the epistemological heuristics we are wont to employ here affords us an explanatory vista across the ideological lane dividers sandwiched between Eurocentrism and Afrocentricity, and, by extrapolation, finds a locational contrast in two major works, Dr. Molefi Kete Asantes The Afrocentric Idea and Dr. Antonio Damasios Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain.

The former, Dr. Asante, seeks an ontological understanding of the layered constitution of humanity, material and nonmaterial, especially the latter, an analytic task evaluated purely from an African perspective, Afrocentricity, that is, while, the latter, Dr. Damasio, explores similar questions through the scientific method. Evidently, the scientific approach, it turns out, is not demonstrably evaluatively superior to the ontological or phenomenological approach utilized by Dr. Asante. Seemingly, part of Dr. Damasios aggregate attempts to elevate the analytic forehead of the scientific method via meticulous biological resolution of the mind-body conundrum, a philosophical question whose evaluation captured the minds of Rene Descartes and Baruch Spinoza, found themselves in the fog of unproven conjectures and high-flown speculations. That is, there is so much about human spiritually, human psychology, and human personality science simply does not understand, let alone explain, if adequately.

Therefore, lets not deceive ourselves into swallowing the universalist claims of Eurocentrism that, among other misguided proposition, the scientific method is necessarily superior to intuitive and introspective knowledge in every single evaluative circumstance. Creationism and evolution are two other good examples. Creationists generally claim science confirms creationist propositions. Interestingly, creationists also say scientific investigations offer sufficient evidential affirmation of Gods existential ontology though they are yet to tell us who this God actually is, whether he is the Yahweh of Judaism, the Jesus of Christianity, or the Allah of Islam. Evolutionists, on the contrary, claim evolution is the institution of science itself though much of what the Afro-Arab scientist and writer Al-Jahiz, an intellectual precursor of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, said about biological diversity merely derived from conjectural gropings based on perceived, if nuanced, phenotypic variances in the architectural anatomy of animals.

Then again, another controversy brewing between creationists and evolutionists over whether the presence of chromosome 2 backs up creationism or evolutionism demonstrates the fluidized applicability and political insincerity of science. The debate, however, continues unabated. What do all these mean? They mean science is not necessarily all about critical thinking. They also mean scientific or empirical evidence may be doctored, invented, or transformed to conform to the wooden ideology of institutional or personal idiosyncrasies. In that context, we shall argue that science, again, is not necessarily a negation of spirituality. Further, there is no analytic connotation here saying the African world should not vigorously, if simultaneously, pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We need not exclude a responsible push for progressive industrialization and computerization of the African world.

But industrialization is not without its shortcomings. Namely, among other problems, industrialization kills or tames spirituality, deities, and religions; sends animals to the graveyards of extinction; pollutes the environment; and breeds corruption, scientific racism, and organized crime. Besides, computerization is no different: Pornography, identity theft, industrial espionage, illegal data mining, etc., constitute a few serious problems we may associate with the illegal use of computers. Ideally, we need to clearly define our national priorities so as to put us in a better strategic position to strike a critical balance hovering over questions of moral propriety between want and need. Making better, responsible, effective, advantageous, or cost-effective choices in life, be it community, personal, or national, is part of the intellectual technology of critical thinking.

Lets push ahead. Curiously, though, Asian communities, for instance, place more intellectual and investigational premium on science, engineering, and mathematics than on the arts. That is to say, science, engineering, and mathematics have catapulted India, China, South Korea, Japan, to name but four, to economic and industrial heights of power, not through the totality of medals received at Olympic games. These countries have taken decades to accomplish what the West took centuries to accomplish, lifting hundreds of millions of their citizens out of the rusty borehole of deadening privation. Yet not every student can be a mathematician, scientist, or engineer. Some have to be custodial workers, dancers, rappers, babysitters, instrumentalists, traders, maintenance personnel, singers, writers, secretaries, fishermen, laborers, machiners, plumbers, evangelists, farmers, messengers, sports men and women, priests, carpenters, cooks, welders, fitters, and what have you.

However, it does not imply individuals should get bogged down in these occupations if creative opportunities for occupational improvement or scholarly advancement present themselves. Still, it does not mean that because society generally looks down on these occupations they do not entail critical thinking, far from it. They evidently do, in fact. In effect, that ill-informed subpart of society which refuses to countenance these occupations lacks the evaluative accoutrements of critical thinking itself. In fact, the educational models designed by Molefi Kete Asante and Howard Gardner have connotatively made this claim abundantly clear. Accordingly, this is to gainsay theoretical and practical
advocation for gullible acceptation of Asian or Western educational models because they have worked for them, an idea we wish to reinforce following the contextual contours of the foregoing arguments.

Go here to see the original:
The Power of Critical Thinking(2)