Articles · Vol. 13 No 1 (2009): Revue africaine de sociologie · Pages 26-37

2- Ethics and the Non-physical Self in Ndorobo World View

  • Shelly Ashdown
    Shelly Ashdown
    Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Dallas, Texas, 75236, USA E-mail: Shelley_ashdown@gial.edu
    Ses articles →
Vol. 13 · 2009 N°1 Revue africaine de sociologie ASR

Résumé

Ethics in Ndorobo world view are concerned primarily with Self and its effect on the welfare
and moral state of community Other. Significant psychical elements of Self such as personality,
character, honesty, desire, and decision can affect the state of community strength through
personal behaviour deemed ethical or unethical. Ndorobo ethics is concerned exclusively with
governing social conduct for interpersonal relations. This article proposes that elements of the
non-physical Self are sources for moral behaviour, and social customary law is the basis for
moral duty among the Ndorobo. Germane to the discussion are the roles associated with the
non-physical Self that reflect four basic ethical principles in Ndorobo world view: 1) Ethical
principle of social unity; 2) Ethical principle of relational exchange; 3) Ethical principle of
respect; and 4) Ethical principle of role standards. Conformity to role expectations by Self
is highly valued as an ethical axiom that is viewed as natural and necessary in the life of a
Ndorobo.

Mots-clés

Ndorobo Non-physical self Ethical principle Social unity

Statistiques

Consultations du résumé
1 552
Téléchargements
50

Biographie de l'auteur/ice

  • Shelly Ashdown

    Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics Dallas, Texas, 75236, USA
    E-mail: Shelley_ashdown@gial.edu

Références

  1. Bird, F. 1981, Paradigms and Parameters for the Comparative Study of Religious and Ideological Ethics, Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. 9, No. 2. pp. 157-185 Durkheim, E., 1965, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, New York: Free Press.
  2. Gbadegesin, S., 1991, African philosophy, New York: Peter Lang.
  3. Goodenough, W., 1971, Rethinking ‘Status’ and ‘Role’: Toward a General Model of the Cultural Organization of Social Relationships, In Nelson Graburn, ed., Readings in Kinship and Social Structure, New York: Harper & Row. pp. 309-321.
  4. Gyekye, K., 1987, An Essay on African philosophical Thought: The Akan conceptual Scheme, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  5. Kearney, M., 1996, Worldview, in D. Emberson and M. Ember, eds., Encyclopedia of cultural Anthropology, Vol. 4, New York: Henry Holt. pp. 1380-1384. Malefijt, A., 1989, Religion and culture: An introduction to Anthropology of Religion, Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
  6. Mbiti, J., 1990, African Religions and philosophy, Oxford, England: Heinemann. Molema, S., 1920, The Bantu: past and present, Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.
  7. Moseley, J., 1979, Literature and Ethics: Some Possibilities for Religious Thought, perspectives in Religious Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 17-23.
  8. Nwagwu, M. G., 2002, Religious Practices and Moral Behaviour in Africa, Asia Journal of Theology, Vol. 16, No.1, pp. 36-48.
  9. Sarpong, P., 1972, Aspects of Akan Ethics, Ghana Bulletin of Theology, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 39-48.
  10. Thiroux, J., 1977, Ethics: Theory and practice, London: Collier Macmillan Publishers.
  11. Uka, E. M., 1991, Ethics of African Traditional Religion, in E.M. Uka, ed., Readings in African Traditional Religion: Structure, Meaning, Relevance, erland: Peter Lang. pp. 180-194.

Dans le même numéro

Vol. 13 No 1 (2009): Revue africaine de sociologie →