The Concept of Person in African and Chinese Philosophies: A Comparative Inquiry

What or who is a person in traditional African communalistic societies and in ancient Chinese Confucian thought system? In response to the question, the paper is a critical analysis of the concept of person/individual in African and Chinese philosophies. In particular, it examines the ontological and normative underpinnings of the concept of person or the individual within the context of African and Chinese traditions. As a cross-cultural exercise, the paper brings to focus some existential issues surrounding the varied perspectives of the human person in those traditions. It aims at establishing some theoretical premises or grounds on which one might appreciate the similarities and differences between African and Chinese traditional cultures. The paper adopts the analytic and expository method of philosophy.