Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophical Dissertations on Mind and Body

by Justin E. H. Smith (Editor), Stephen Menn (Editor)

Overview

Anton Wilhelm Amo (c.1703-after 1752) was the first African philosopher in the modern period to write in the European philosophical tradition and study and teach in European universities. At the dawn of the eighteenth century, while still a small boy, he was sent from his home in present-day Ghana to Amsterdam. From there he was sent to Germany as a court attendant of Duke Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, and was subsequently baptized in 1708. He matriculated at the University of Halle in 1727, where he defended a law thesis. He then studied and taught at the University of Wittenberg, before returning to Halle to teach, and later also teaching in Jena. He returned to West Africa permanently in 1747. Though much attention on and study of Amo has previously focused on his symbolic importance as a historical figure--the first African philosopher in modern Europe--Stephen Menn and Justin E. H. Smith argue for a serious engagement with Amo's work as a philosopher. In an extensive introduction, they contextualize his biography and writing within the surrounding intellectual and historical environment, and discuss and analyze his arguments in conversation with other philosophers of the time. This volume contains his two Wittenberg philosophical dissertations, On the Impassivity of the Human Mind and the Philosophical Disputation containing a Distinct Idea of those Things that Pertain either to the Mind or to our Living and Organic Body, both first published in 1734. The editors present the original Latin texts with side-by-side English translations and detailed explanatory annotations. In centering Amo's philosophical thought and making it accessible to more students and scholars, Menn and Smith establish the originality and significance of Amo's rigorous contributions to the mind-body debate of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197501641
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/26/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Stephen Menn is James McGill Professor of Philosophy at McGill University in Montreal and Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Justin E. H. Smith is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Paris.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction 1. The Life of Anton Wilhelm Amo 2. The History of Amo Reception 3. The Political and Intellectual Context at Halle and Wittenberg 4. On Dissertations and Disputations, and Amo's Two Dissertations 5. Ancient and Modern Debates on Action and Passion and on Sensation 6. The Argument of the Impassivity and the Distinct Idea II. Note on the Text and Translation of Amo's Dissertations III. Inaugural Dissertation on the Impassivity of the Human Mind (1734) (Latin and English) IV. Philosophical Disputation Containing a Distinct Idea of those Things that Pertain either to the Mind or to Our Living and Organic Body (1734) (Latin and English) V. Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"[T]he definitive translation of Amo's key writings and a treasure trove of critical apparatus. Essential and fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of philosophy." — Alison Simmons, Harvard University

"Making [Amo's] work accessible in a good contextualized translation along with the original text is useful both for scholars wanting to engage with him philosophically and for the wider audience that is interested in him as an historical figure. Smith and Menn have done excellent work." — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York University

"Replete with insightful historical commentary ... This is a well-written and important book." — Yual Chiek, Journal of the History of Philosophy

"Amo, an 18th century philosopher from Africa who was trained in Europe and taught in Wittenberg, is little known among contemporary scholars. Yet his philosophy, as well as his biography, is fascinating. It's terrific to have a high quality modern edition of his work. The editors' well-developed introduction addresses matters of biography, reception, political and intellectual context, generic conventions, philosophical background, and provides a summary of Amo's arguments. This book will be used widely. Many of us are seeking to do a better job of conveying to students the global networks that have constituted philosophy across the centuries. Many will surely avail themselves of the opportunity to include Amo on a syllabus." — Danielle Allen, Edmond Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University

From the Publisher