Making room for more games: metaphilosophical typology and the problem of African philosophy

Abstract

The question concerning the philosophy of philosophy (metaphilosophy) has received little attention in philosophical discourses in the last few decades, a case in point being the debate on African philosophy. People often argue the existence or nonexistence of African philosophy without explaining their own understanding of the nature of philosophy. This article introduces a metaphilosophical conceptual grid as a means to address this issue. A distinction is made between different kinds of philosophy, as well as different types of philosophers. The grid is then applied to the debate on African philosophy. One of the main functions of the proposed grid is to ensure that different discourses are not confused with one another.