A Journey into the Philosophy of Alain Locke

by Johnny Washington

Overview

Washington provides a detailed guide to the philosophy of Alain Locke, one of the most influential African American thinkers of our time. The work gives special attention to what Washington calls Destiny Studies, an approach which allows a people to concentrate on their past, present, and future possibilities, and to view the experience of a race as a coherent unity, rather than a set of fragmented historical happenings. In providing a broad vision of Locke's ideas, Washington considers the views of Booker T. Washington and his contemporaries, the theories of anthropologists concerning race and ethnicity, and many of the social issues current in our own age. By doing so, Washington affirms the importance of Locke as a philosopher and demonstrates the impact of Locke on the destiny of African Americans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313290473
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/26/1994
Series:	Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies: Contemporary Black Poets , #16
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

JOHNNY WASHINGTON is Professor of African American Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield. His articles have appeared in jourbanals such as the Jourbanal of Social Philosophy, and he is the author of Alain Locke and Philosophy: A Quest for Cultural Pluralism (Greenwood Press, 1986).

Table of Contents

Destiny: The Views of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, and Alain Locke
The African American Elite, Destiny and the Transformation of History
African Americans Cultural Contributions to the Three Americas
"Black" or "African American": What's in a Name?
The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington
Criteria of Race: An Anthropological Perspective
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Racial Dilemmas and Paradoxes
Racial Integration or Segregation: Which is Desirable?
Social Insanity
Moral Virtues in Elementary Schools
Norms and the Social Realm: Alain Locke, John Dewey, and Henri Bergson
A General Theory of Value Relativism
The Nature and Dynamics of Norms
Epilogue
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

An examination of the philosophy of African American philosopher- educator Locke (1886-1954). The volume is divided into two parts. The first focuses on racial and ethnic issues that arise in history, anthropology, social psychology, sociology, and ethnic studies--fields to which Locke made significant contributions. Part II addresses the more philosophic aspects of Locke's works, particularly his interest in axiology, especially ethics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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