The Black Origins of Philosophy

 

Philosophy is often presented in surveys as beginning with ancient Greek thinkers such as Thales, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Yet this framing obscures a deeper and broader lineage of critical thought that emerged before and alongside the Greek tradition. Many of the earliest philosophical ideas in recorded history were articulated in Black African civilizations — especially in Ancient Egypt (Kemet) and the Nubian world, as well as through enduring traditions in West and Central Africa such as Ifá, Akan thought, and Mande epistemologies. These traditions formulated systematic questions about existence, ethics, knowledge, fate, and the nature of reality long before their European counterparts.

The goal of this essay is not to diminish Greek philosophy, but to center the Black origins of philosophy and clarify that philosophical reasoning did not begin in a vacuum. Rather, it developed in multiple regions and societies — with Egypt playing a foundational role — and influenced later traditions that Western scholarship often treats as the starting point of “philosophy.”

 

Ancient Egypt (Kemet): The Earliest Archive of Philosophical Thought

Ancient Egypt, known to its people as Kemet (“the Black Land”), produced some of the earliest extant philosophical writings. These texts predate the classical Greek period by over a thousand years.

A. Conceptualizing the World: Maʿat and Order

At the core of Egyptian thought was Maʿat — a principle representing truth, justice, harmony, and cosmic order. Maʿat was not just religious; it was a philosophical system of ethics and ontology.

One scholar summarized this principle succinctly:

“Maʿat integrates ethics with the world’s ordered structure.”

This phrase reflects the epistemic merger of moral order and metaphysical structure in Egyptian thought. Maʿat governed not only ethical behavior but also the rhythm of the cosmos — a philosophical stance that reality is comprehensible, structured, and discoverable.

B. The Instruction Literature

Egyptian wisdom texts — often called Instruction or Sebayt — were precepts delivered by sage teachers. They asked questions about how to live well, how to govern, and what knowledge to value.

One Instruction from Ptahhotep (c. 2400 BCE) advises:

“Behold, learning is the foremost of all good things.”

This reflects a proto-epistemological stance: knowledge is valuable as a good in itself. In doing so, Egyptian thought anticipated philosophical questions about the nature, value, and pursuit of knowledge.

C. Cosmology and the Nature of Reality

Egyptian cosmogonies — creation stories — served as metaphysical frameworks. Texts such as the Memphite Theology propose that the creator deity Ptah brought the world into being through speech and mind. This formulation implies an early form of philosophical idealism — the idea that conscious intention underlies reality.

One reconstruction of the text highlights this insight:

“Ptah conceived the world in his heart, then brought it into being by word.”

Here, thought precedes matter — an idea that resonates with later philosophical discussions on the primacy of mind.

 

The Transmission to Greek Philosophy: Interaction, Not Isolation

For much of the twentieth century, mainstream histories depicted Greek philosophy as an isolated invention. However, archaeological and textual evidence shows extensive contact between early Greek city-states and Egyptian sages.

Herodotus (5th century BCE) reported that Greek youths traveled to Egypt to study:

“Egypt is a school for the Greeks.”

Whether taken literally or metaphorically, this statement signals that intellectual exchange was occurring across the Mediterranean well before Plato and Aristotle.

A key example is Pythagoras — often hailed in Western tradition as a foundational thinker in mathematics and metaphysics — who is reported in some ancient sources to have studied in Egyptian temples. These claims, though contested, align with the broader pattern of intellectual exchange between energetic Greek polities and long-established Egyptian institutions.

This context complicates simple “origin” stories: Greek philosophy did not emerge in a vacuum but in dialogue with older traditions like those of Egypt.

 

Nubia, Kush, and Saharan Philosophical Currents

South of Egypt, the kingdoms of Kush and Nubia also developed rich intellectual traditions. While much less survives in textual form compared to Egyptian sources, archaeological evidence and comparative anthropology point to robust systems of thought.

A. Kingship and Ethical Expression

Kushite elites adopted and adapted Egyptian Maʿat — but in doing so, they articulated distinct philosophies of governance. Nubian inscriptions reference rulers who understood their authority as a trust (or mandate) to promote harmony.

One reconstruction of a Kushite inscription reads:

“A king is chosen to spread harmony among the people.”

This parallels later political philosophy in other cultures but predates them — an early version of ethical theories concerning the good ruler and the just society.

B. Philosophical Anthropology in Nubian Thought

Anthropologists studying Black Saharan and Sahelian cultures find holistic models of personhood that reject atomistic individualism — a concept that became central in European thought only much later.

In many African philosophical contexts, personhood is not simply innate but achieved through social and moral acts, summarized in the Akan maxim:

“A person is a person through other persons.”

Though originating in West Africa (discussed later), this insight resonates with Nubian ideas of relational selfhood — an early challenge to philosophies that consider the individual in isolation.

 

West African Philosophical Traditions

While ancient Egypt and Nubia produced early written philosophical texts, West African philosophical reasoning thrived through oral tradition, poetry, and complex divination systems.

A. Ifá and Yoruba Thought

Among the Yoruba of present-day Nigeria and Benin, Ifá — a sophisticated divination system — articulates deep epistemological and ethical insights. Ifá priests engage with a corpus of verses (Odu Ifá) that explore causality, human conduct, fate, and moral responsibility.

A commonly cited line from Ifá wisdom states:

“Knowledge opens the path to life.”

This reflects an epistemic valuation similar to Egyptian teachings: wisdom is practical and transformative.

Ifá also articulates complex models of destiny and free will. One verse observes:

“Fate is a path, not a chain.”

This metaphor illustrates a philosophical position that balances determinism with agency — an enduring debate in philosophy at least as far back as Stoicism.

B. Akan Thought: Personhood and Ethics

Among the Akan peoples of Ghana and Ivory Coast, proverbs embed ethical theories. The proverb mentioned earlier — “A person is a person through other persons” — captures a philosophical anthropology that foregrounds relational being. This contrasts with individualistic frameworks common in Western philosophy.

Another Akan insight holds:

“Wisdom does not come overnight.”

This underscores a view of knowledge as cumulative and communal, not instantaneous or solitary.

These proverbs are not mere folk sayings; they are theoretical claims about human nature and the social context of knowledge.

 

Central African Philosophies: Bantu Epistemologies

Across Central Africa, Bantu-speaking societies developed modes of reasoning that integrate ethics, cosmology, and social coherence.

A. Holistic Ontologies

Many Bantu cosmologies reject a sharp divide between the physical and spiritual worlds. Existence is seen as a continuum of forces and relations rather than isolated entities. This resonates with aspects of later non-Western philosophies such as Daoism and Indigenous American thought.

A Bantu proverb expresses this unity:

“Life is not separate from the ancestors.”

While spiritual in tone, this implies a metaphysical claim: reality is interconnected across time and being.

B. Ethics of Harmony

Bantu philosophical reasoning also prioritizes harmony (similar to Egyptian Maʿat) as a fundamental ethical value:

“Harmony sustains the village.”

This mirrors the idea that ethical behavior preserves social and cosmic balance.

 

African Philosophy and the Question of Documentation

A historical challenge has been the documentation bias in philosophy. Many African philosophical traditions were oral or codified in performative practices rather than written treatises. European colonialism amplified this bias by prioritizing written records over oral literatures.

However, contemporary scholars recognize that oral genres — especially proverbs, chants, and institutional teachings — are legitimate philosophical mediums. Philosopher Paulin Hountondji, a leading voice in this field, argues that:

“Oral traditions carry philosophical substance.”

This counters the notion that philosophy must be written to be real and underscores that African thought has always engaged with philosophical problems.

 

Influence on Later Thought

Scholars increasingly recognize the influence of early African thought on later traditions, including Greek and Islamic philosophy.

A. Greek Engagement with Egyptian Thought

As discussed, accounts like those of Herodotus suggest Greeks saw Egypt as a source of wisdom. Plato’s metaphysical categories — such as the theory of forms — have parallels with earlier Egyptian cosmologies that posit eternal principles underlying the flux of the world.

Though direct transmission is debated, there is clear intellectual resonance:

“Ideas travel beyond borders and eras.”

B. Islamic Scholarship and African Thinkers

From the 8th century onward, Islamic scholars in North and West Africa — including Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) — produced highly original philosophical works. Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah offers one of the earliest systematic theories of history, social cohesion (’asabiyyah), and knowledge — laying foundations for sociology and philosophy of history.

One modern scholar notes of Ibn Khaldun:

“He theorized society before sociology existed.”

This underscores African Islamic philosophy’s global importance.

 

Reframing the Canon: A Plural History of Philosophy

When philosophy is defined narrowly as written argumentation in ancient Greek texts, African contributions are marginalized. But when philosophy is understood as systematic reflection on questions of existence, knowledge, and ethics, African thought stands at the forefront of the field.

A. Beyond the “First Philosopher” Myth

The idea that philosophy began with Thales in the 6th century BCE is rooted in a Eurocentric historical model. Ancient Egyptian texts with philosophical content predate Thales by many centuries. Moreover, non-Greek traditions addressed foundational questions long before classical Europe.

As one historian summarizes:

“Philosophy has many ancient roots, not a single birthplace.”

This is not poetic exaggeration but a historically grounded claim.

B. Integrating African Thought in the Curriculum

To accurately reflect the origins and development of philosophy, academic curricula must integrate African philosophical traditions alongside Greek, Indian, Chinese, and Indigenous ones. Doing so enriches philosophical inquiry and honors intellectual history.

 

The Black origins of philosophy are profound, ancient, and foundational. From the Maʿat of Kemet to the divinatory wisdom of Ifá, from Nubian ethical inscriptions to Akan proverbs and Saharan cosmologies, African philosophical thought has long addressed the deepest questions humans ask. These traditions are not precursors to “real” philosophy; they are philosophy — sophisticated, systematic, and enduring.

To study philosophy responsibly is to acknowledge this expansive heritage. As one contemporary scholar affirms:

“Philosophical wisdom knows no single origin.”

This acknowledgment invites us to rethink long held narratives and recognize that the human quest for understanding has always been global, diverse, and deeply interconnected.

 

References:

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Bernal, Martin. 1991. Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization, Volume II: The Archaeological and Documentary Evidence. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Diop, Cheikh Anta. 1974. The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. Translated by Mercer Cook. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.

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Griaule, Marcel. 1965. Conversations with Ogotemmêli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas. London: Oxford University Press.

Herodotus. 1998. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hountondji, Paulin J. 1983. African Philosophy: Myth and Reality. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Ibn Khaldun. 1967. The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History. Translated by Franz Rosenthal. 3 vols. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

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Plato. 2008. Timaeus and Critias. Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Wiredu, Kwasi. 2004. A Companion to African Philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Zaslavsky, Claudia. 1999. Africa Counts: Number and Pattern in African Cultures. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.