FLASH: JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION & PEACE STUDIES

Paulin Hountondji, a philosopher from the Republic of Benin, is an influential figure in the study of philosophy in Africa and African philosophy around the world. The aim of this article is to explore Hountondji's perspectives on philosophy as a universal and dialogical enterprise as well as how his universalistic and dialogical conception of philosophy influenced his critique of ethno-philosophy, (re)definition of African philosophy, and advocacy for the practice of a rigorous and critical tradition of philosophy in Africa and beyond. The article affirms that whereas Hountondji subscribes to the idea of philosophy as a critical inquiry that transcends cultural and geographic boundaries while addressing specific historical and social contexts, he rejects reductive portrayals of African philosophy as ethno-philosophy, a collection of received wisdom, in support of a critical tradition of philosophy that promotes intellectual autonomy, critique of inherited assumptions, and dialogical engagement in global philosophical conversations that are nonetheless prompted by local realities. The question hereafter is whether Hountondji’s critical tradition of philosophy is African, European, or transcultural. We employ the method of philosophical analysis and sound argumentation.

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