7.2. African and Teilhardian World Views
Senghor considers the African world as a communion of souls
rather than an aggregate of individuals. When we consider Teilhardian
metaphysics that we have considered in the first part of our work, we are
struck by the resemblance between the vision of the world of Pierre Teilhard de
Chardin and the African traditional vision of the world.
In effect, these visions of the world are characterised by
totalizing harmonies. Thus, we might say that Teilhard de Chardin provides a
framework within which a typical African philosophy for the future may be
written. Like that of Teilhard de Chardin, Senghor's world view is
personalistic, socialistic and humanistic, aiming above all at a unity or a
totality in a dynamic communion of all beings among themselves and with the
Omega Point, in a mutual embrace of love.
Reading Teilhard de Chardin, Senghor could therefore assert
that the Negro-African society is better adapted than the western society to
realize this communion of love needed for the building up of the Civilization
of the Universal. According to Sen ghor, western man constructs artificial and
therefore aggregates of 'human units', each of which remains closed within
itself and seeks primarily self-sufficiency and independence. A union which
comes from within, from the soul of a people which knows that individual man is
not the measure of anything, that is, a union which, freely accepted as a vital
necessity, runs a much greater chance of lasting success.
Unfortunately, the impact of western politics, of ideological
conflicts and of power block diplomacy has weakened this basic unity. In
addition, for Senghor, this communion of souls is most effective at the level
of the fatherland or tribe and often breaks down into tribal conflicts at the
level of the artificial States created by colonialism.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AFRICAN HUMANISM IN THE LIGHT OF
TEILHARDIAN HUMANISM
Reading Teilhard de Chardin, Senghor could therefore assert
that the Negro-African society is better adapted than the western society to
realize this communion of love needed for the building up of the Civilization
of the Universal. According to Sen ghor, western man constructs artificial and
therefore aggregates of 'human units', each of which remains closed within
itself and seeks primarily self-sufficiency and independence. A union which
comes from within, from the soul of a people which knows that individual man is
not the measure of anything, that is, a union which, freely accepted as a vital
necessity, runs a much greater chance of lasting success. Senghor adopts and
adapts Teilhardian views on humanism to the African context and calls for the
revalorisation of African traditional values that could enable Africa play a
major role in the panhuman convergence towards the Omega point. Senghor then
insists on the communal dimension of love in African society because love is
the energy needed for the coming up together of all civilizations towards the
fullness of love itself, the Omega point. In this chapter, we would like to
show that there is a great similarity between the Teilhardian view of the world
and the African view of the world and to bring out African humanism in the
light of Teilhardian humanism.
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